Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument

Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument

The Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism site.

The Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument is located in the center of Rehe Road Square, outside Yijiang Gate on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. It was erected in 1979 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Nanjing. Apart from the platform and railings, it consists of a base and the main body. The monument is shaped like a sailing ship, carved from granite, composed of a deep purple hull and white sails. It stands 23.4 meters tall, is 17 meters long, and 12 meters wide. The main body consists of two curved sail-like sections, with a 2.5-meter-diameter commemorative medal embedded at the top. The white sails feature a 2.5-meter-diameter, approximately 400-kilogram bronze crossing-the-Yangtze commemorative medal hanging at the center. The back of the monument’s top is inscribed with raised characters “1949.4.21,” the date of the crossing. The base is a deep purple ship-shaped platform, with sails forming a “V” shape, together with a linear poetic stele at the bottom forming the large characters “八一” (August First). The river-facing side is clad with Jinshan granite, engraved with Mao Zedong’s calligraphy poem “Seven-Character Regulated Verse: The People’s Liberation Army Captures Nanjing.” The side facing away from the river bears seven golden bronze characters “Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument,” personally inscribed, inlaid onto 27 pieces of Sichuan red granite. Relief sculptures on the east and west sides depict scenes of soldiers and civilians victoriously crossing the river. The entire monument is shaped like a sailing ship cutting through waves, symbolizing the magnificent scene of the million-strong People’s Liberation Army crossing the Yangtze River. From afar, the entire monument resembles a battleship plowing through the waves.

The monument was completed in April 1979. In 1949, after the victorious conclusion of the Huaihai Campaign, the Liberation Army advanced southward and, in April of the same year, breached the thousand-mile river defense line, crossed the Yangtze River, and liberated Nanjing on April 23. To commemorate this great historical achievement and honor the revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Crossing the Yangtze Campaign, the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government began preparations for the Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument in 1959 and erected a foundation stone in Rehe Road Square, Xiaguan. On April 23, 1979, the Crossing the Yangtze Victory Monument was officially unveiled. The Crossing the Yangtze Memorial Museum is housed in the Xiaguan Yijiang Gate tower and forms a unified memorial site with the monument. It commemorates the Crossing the Yangtze campaign. On April 23, 1984, the 35th anniversary of the liberation of Nanjing, an internal exhibition was officially established, displaying over 200 documents, photos, materials, and artifacts reflecting the history of the Liberation War. It represents another major campaign in the history of the Chinese People’s Liberation War, following the three major campaigns of Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units