Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (南京长江大桥) was the first major bridge across the Yangtze River built without foreign assistance. Completed in 1968 at the height of the Cultural Revolution, it carries both a railway (lower deck) and a road (upper deck) across the 1.5-kilometre span. Before its construction, crossing the river required a ferry, a significant logistical obstacle.

A visitor centre on the south bank tells the story of the bridge's construction. The upper deck pedestrian access has been restored after a renovation, and walking part of the span gives a fine view up and down the Yangtze. The political iconography — the towers topped with flags and socialist sculpture, the era-specific architecture — makes this as much a Cultural Revolution monument as an engineering one.

things to do sight bridge historic site
A story
When the bridge opened in 1968, it was a major propaganda victory for China — it had been designed and built entirely by Chinese engineers after Soviet advisers withdrew in 1960, taking their plans with them. For decades the bridge was reproduced on postage stamps, wristwatches, and porcelain as a symbol of Chinese self-reliance. The socialist realist sculptures on the bridge towers — heroic workers raising red flags — survive intact.

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