Yudu Long March Bridge

　　The “Yudu Long March Bridge” is situated on National Highway 323 in the county seat. It stands at the site of the former Ximen Pagoda ferry crossing beneath which the Third Red Army Corps, commanded by Peng Dehuai and with [redacted] as commissar, embarked on the Long March by crossing the Yudu River. Together with the Red Army Bridge and Bao Ta Park, it forms a picturesque two-bank riverside layout in the county seat, serving as a stunning highlight along the riverside road.

　　In early October 1934, the Third Red Army Corps withdrew from the battlefield in Shicheng, passed through the southern part of Ningdu, and arrived in areas such as Quyang, Fenkeng, and Chetou in Yudu on the 15th. On the evening of the 17th and 18th, 17,805 soldiers of the Third Red Army Corps crossed the Yudu River from this location as well as from the South Gate in the county seat and Mengkou in Lu’ao, embarking on the Long March. Before crossing, the Third Red Army Corps held a mobilization meeting for all officers and soldiers at the East Gate Sandbar in the county seat. Commander Peng Dehuai and Commissar [redacted] delivered speeches at the gathering. Peng Dehuai urged the soldiers to stay calm and avoid crowding while crossing the pontoon bridge. He also asked them to write home to inform their families to safeguard the fruits of victory and keep secrets, assuring them that the Red Army would surely return.

　　To commemorate the achievements of the revolutionary predecessors and to address the difficulties local residents faced in crossing the river, in 1995—with the care and support of governments at all levels—the county’s officials, employees, and masses, just as they had supported the Red Army’s river crossing during the Long March, generously donated funds. A bridge measuring 607.14 meters in total length and 15 meters in width was constructed here and triumphantly completed and opened to traffic on May 1, 1997. On October 1, 1996, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March, President [redacted], during his inspection tour of southern Jiangxi’s old revolutionary base areas, learned that a bridge was being built at Yudu’s historic ferry crossing used by the Central Red Army during the Long March. He gladly inscribed the name “Yudu Long March Bridge” for the structure.