Memorial Site of Premier Zhou Enlai's Inspection of the Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge

Memorial Site of Premier Zhou Enlai's Inspection of the Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge

The Memorial Site of Premier Zhou Enlai's Inspection of the Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Jinan Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge is located over the Yellow River to the north of Luokou Village, Beiyuan Town, Tianqiao District, Jinan City. Construction began in early 1909 and was completed in November 1919. It was the largest project of the Tianjin-Pukou Railway, jointly built by British and German companies at the time, and also the largest cantilever railway bridge in China and even Asia at that time. The iron bridge is also a site of revolutionary significance. In 1977, it was named the "Memorial Site of Premier Zhou Enlai's Inspection of the Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge" and listed as one of the first batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units in Shandong.

In 1958, the Yellow River experienced a once-in-a-century major flood peak. One pier of the Zhengzhou Yellow River Railway Bridge was washed away. Upon learning of this, Premier Zhou Enlai immediately rushed to Zhengzhou for an inspection and did not leave until midnight. Back at his residence, Premier Zhou was informed that the Jinan Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge was also in danger. Despite exhaustion, he flew to Jinan on the morning of August 6 to conduct an inspection. In order not to affect transportation tasks, Premier Zhou notified the Jinan Railway Bureau not to delay train passage during the bridge inspection. When asked when the bridge piers and structure were built and how long they could last, the accompanying Railway Bureau officials were unable to answer immediately. Premier Zhou said, "Don’t worry, go back and check the records." Back at the south end of the bridge, Premier Zhou gave instructions on which parts of the bridge needed repair and which needed reinforcement, and told the Railway Bureau comrades, "You must do everything possible to protect this bridge!" Despite days of continuous travel, Premier Zhou remained energetic and showed no signs of fatigue, even directing reinforcement work on the river dike.

On December 23, 1977, the Shandong Provincial Government erected a stone monument at the south end of the bridge titled "Memorial Site of Premier Zhou Enlai's Inspection of the Luokou Yellow River Railway Bridge," which became a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Shandong Province