 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.
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