The
Yangtze River Bridge is
a source of great pride
for the Communists
because of the history
of its construction. The
Russians had initially
designed the Yangtze
River Bridge in the late
1950s. However, in 1960,
the honeymoon between
China and the Soviet
Union ended due to
ideological differences.
The Russians left in a
huff, taking the
blueprints for many
Chinese projects with
them.
The Yangtze River Bridge
plans were among those
taken back to Moscow,
but the Chinese managed
to design and build the
double-decker bridge on
their own. Today, the
bridge remains an
important symbol of
Chinese self-reliance
and until the late
1970s, the story of its
construction was often
told in primary school
textbooks.
The bridge is one of the
longest in China, with a
4500 meter-long road on
top and a 6700
meter-long railway line
below. A stone statue at
the entrance to the
bridge captures the
Communist Party of the
60s: workers, peasants,
soldiers, cadres and
students, stand
together, united. They
lean forward into the
glorious future with
sickles, hammers,
bayonets, flags, and
Chairman Mao’s Little
Red Book. Each of the
three red flags proclaim
a communist slogan of
the time: tow the
General Line, take the
Great Leap Forward and
join the People’s
Commune. |