Former Site of the Battle at Liberation Bridge

Former Site of the Battle at Liberation Bridge

Liberation Bridge is located in downtown Fuzhou. Originally named Wanshou Bridge, it spans the Min River, connecting the Taijiang and Cangshan districts.

In July 1949, the 10th Corps of the Third Field Army of the PLA, under the command of Ye Fei, advanced on Fuzhou along three routes. On August 17, the central route—comprised of the 28th Army under the leadership of Zhu Shaoqing—saw its 82nd and 83rd Divisions enter Fuzhou at 5 a.m. that day. The main force of the 82nd Division and the 83rd Division successively entered the city. The vanguard regiment quickly advanced to Wanshou Bridge. To prevent the PLA from crossing the river and to cover their own main forces’ retreat, the Nationalist troops stationed one regiment to defend the bridge, laying down intense crossfire across the bridge deck and continuously bombarding the river and bridge surface with small-caliber artillery, forming a solid wall of fire.

When the PLA vanguard regiment charged toward Wanshou Bridge, they were suddenly met with heavy gunfire, resulting in more than ten casualties and a halt in their advance. Regimental Political Commissar Sun Lexun ordered Deputy Battalion Commander Wei Jingli to organize an assault team of several dozen soldiers for a forced attack. The assault team fought bravely and led the charge, but Wei Jingli was shot in the chest. Still, he continued to command while clutching his bleeding wound. At that moment, two windows on the middle floor of a building directly south of the bridge had additional Nationalist machine guns added, which fired wildly from above at the approaching PLA assault team. Under the fierce firepower, the assault team was temporarily pinned down on the bridge and unable to move forward. At this critical juncture, PLA forces north of the bridge promptly organized covering fire. Deputy Squad Leader Wang Keqin was the first to charge to the Nationalist fortifications south of the bridge. He unleashed heavy gunfire with his submachine gun and shouted, “Avenge Deputy Battalion Commander!” Due to the brave assault of the PLA team, the defending Nationalist soldiers all surrendered with raised hands. The assault team pressed on to victory, capturing Yantai Mountain and opening the way for the main force’s advance. That same day, Fuzhou City and Linsen County were officially liberated, and hundreds of thousands of citizens cheered and poured into the streets to welcome the PLA.

Liberation Bridge was originally built in the 8th year of the Yuanyou era during the Song Dynasty (1093), initially consisting of two pontoon bridges. Due to frequent damage from wind and waves, it was later rebuilt as a stone-pier bridge. In 1303, it was reconstructed as a simple-supported stone beam and slab bridge, making it the earliest large stone bridge over the Min River. In 1930, it was converted into a highway bridge, with the original piers heightened by 2 meters using concrete, and both the road surface and railings were constructed with reinforced concrete. After 1949, to commemorate the PLA’s crossing of the bridge and their pursuit of the fleeing Nationalist army to the south, the bridge was renamed “Liberation Bridge.”

In 1970, Liberation Bridge was modified by constructing another bridge on top of the existing one, raising it by 4 meters and widening the deck by 2 meters. It was rebuilt in 1995 and completed in September 1996. The new bridge is a modern double-curved prestressed reinforced concrete tied-arch bridge, consisting of three parts: Wanshou Bridge, Zhongzhou Island, and the South River Bridge, with a total length of 565 meters and a width of 12 meters. It features four sets of orange-red steel tubular arched aerial suspension bridges that help distribute the load of the main structure.