Guilin Liberation Bridge

Guilin Liberation Bridge

Liberation Bridge is a major east-west thoroughfare in Guilin. After reconstruction, the bridge is 45 meters wide and 284 meters long, featuring an elegant and streamlined design. Standing on the bridge, you can look east to Seven Star Park, west to the bustling city center, north to Fubo Hill, Diecai Hill, and Solitary Beauty Peak, and south to Elephant Trunk Hill, Chuan Shan, and South Creek Hill. Under the overpass at the eastern end of the bridge, a pedestrian walkway has been created, with a 45-meter-wide panoramic photo of Guilin’s landscapes painted on the arch walls. The area also features various forms of water fountains, cascading water curtains, bronze horse sculptures, decorative lamp posts, and glass-roofed shelters, making it a great spot for enjoying the water, relaxing, and sightseeing. It is also one of the waterway docks for the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area. The western end of the bridge features a geometric-style garden, connected by an underground passage.

Located at the eastern end of Jiefang East Road and the western end of Freedom Road, it is the earliest bridge in Guilin to span the Li River. Originally built in 1939 during the war against Japanese aggression, when Guilin was frequently bombed and the population needed to be evacuated, it was constructed as a steel-truss through arch bridge and named “Chungcheng Bridge.” It was 181 meters long, 11 meters wide, with five spans each 36 meters across, wooden decking, and a load capacity of 10 tons. In October 1944, as Japanese forces advanced, two central spans were destroyed. In July 1945, as the occupying forces retreated, they blew up the second and third steel girders. In February 1946, a pontoon bridge known as “Chungcheng Pontoon Bridge” was built. In July 1951, the original site was rebuilt with a steel-truss structure and renamed Liberation Bridge. It underwent two renovations in 1957 and 1962.

In 1972, the lower structure of Liberation Bridge was retained, the piers were reinforced, the upper structure was demolished, and the bridge deck was widened, transforming it into a hollow concrete double-curved arch bridge. The total length is 239.3 meters, including a main bridge of 215.3 meters and an approach bridge of 14 meters; it is 4.36 meters high with five spans, each 34.9 meters across. The bridge deck is 15.5 meters wide, with 9.5 meters for vehicle lanes and 3 meters for sidewalks on both the north and south sides. It has a load capacity of 13-ton vehicles and 60-ton trailers. The expansion greatly improved cross-river traffic and made significant contributions to the lives and production of Guilin residents.