Long 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 symbolically connect the dragon’s vein, hence the name Long Bridge. The bridge is 80.45 meters long and 5.3 meters wide, entirely built with blue flagstones. The central railing is engraved with three large characters: “接龙桥” (Long 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, in an attempt to block the Red Army, built a large bunker on the bridge and renamed it “截龙桥” (Blocking Dragon Bridge), trying to sever the connection between the people and He Long and obstruct his troops. After the liberation of Laifeng, the original name “Long Bridge” was restored. During the Cultural Revolution, the bridge was not spared either—the two characters “接龙” (Welcome Dragon) were scraped off. In 1974, after He Long was posthumously rehabilitated, the three characters “Long Bridge” were restored. 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 CPC Central Committee personally inscribed the three characters “Long Bridge” during his inspection visit to Laifeng. On August 1, 1988, the Laifeng County Committee of the CPC and the People’s Government of Laifeng County erected a stele on the bridge, inscribing the inscription. Comrade Liao Hansheng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, wrote the inscription: “Carry forward the spirit of the martyrs, revitalize the Hunan-Hubei border region.”