Longjiang Bridge

Longjiang Bridge

Also known as Jihong Bridge, it was first built in the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1808), originally constructed to symbolize the connection of the dragon’s vein, hence the name "Longjiang" (Welcome the Dragon) Bridge. The bridge is 80.45 meters long and 5.3 meters wide, entirely built from blue flagstones. The central railing is inscribed with three large characters: “接龙桥” (Longjiang Bridge). During the Second Revolutionary Civil War, He Long led the Red Army in battles across the Hunan–Hubei–Sichuan–Guizhou border region. The people of Laifeng eagerly awaited the Red Army and welcomed He Long, giving the bridge a new meaning: welcoming He Long. In 1935, the Kuomintang garrison in Laifeng, aiming to block the Red Army, built a large bunker on the bridge and renamed it “截龙桥” (Block the Dragon Bridge), in an attempt to sever the people’s connection with He Long and obstruct his forces. After the liberation of Laifeng, the three characters “接龙桥” were restored to their original form. During the Cultural Revolution, Longjiang Bridge was not spared—the two characters “接龙” (Welcome the Dragon) were scraped off. In 1974, after Comrade He Long was rehabilitated, the words “接龙桥” were rewritten. In 1963, the construction of the Laifeng–Baifusi Road led to modifications of the bridge, and in 1983, the provincial government allocated special funds for its expansion. On April 7, 1984, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee personally inscribed the three characters “接龙桥” when inspecting Laifeng. On August 1, 1988, the Laifeng County Committee of the Communist Party of China and the County People’s Government erected a stele on the bridge, engraving the inscription. Liao Hansheng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, inscribed the slogan: “Carry forward the spirit of the martyrs, revitalize the Hunan–Hubei border region.”