At the end of 1968, the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was opened to traffic and became a major event in New China. A number of party and state leaders came to inspect, leaving behind great figures such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping.
Chairman Mao came to inspect the bridge late at night
On the morning of September 19, 1969, Xu Shiyou, commander of the Nanjing Military Region, held a meeting at the headquarters of the Second Independent Division and requested that the first-level security plan be prepared to welcome the central chief to inspect the bridge Preparation. Although it is not clear which leader came, according to the determined plan level and the degree of importance Xu Shiyou personally deployed, everyone guessed that the central leader who came was either Chairman Mao or Premier Zhou.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon on the 20th, the bridge guard mission began, and all the sentries were put on neat military uniforms. At 7 o'clock in the evening, the white magnolia lanterns of the bridge and the colored lights hanging on the outer walls of the North-South Fort came on. Eight searchlights borrowed from the Air Force were placed on the platform of the North-South Fort and turned on together. The lights on the bridge are shining, and the lights on both sides are shining, and the colorful colors make the bridge more dazzling.
At about 8 pm, the leaders of the Nanjing Military Region and the cadres of the 60th Army and above who had participated in the construction and defense of the bridge came to the bridge and stood side by side on the sidewalk on the bridge. At that time, due to the enforcement of martial law on the bridge, ordinary citizens couldn't enter, but they couldn't live without the masses. The Nanjing Military Region organized some officials and their families on the bridge to watch the night scene.
At 11 o'clock in the evening, Xu Shiyou patrolled the guards of the bridge in a jeep, and then left quickly.
At 1:37 on the 21st, I saw a string of lights shining in the direction of "I-Bao" at the bridge on the south side of the bridge. The motorcade drove on the south approach bridge and drove through the South Fort and continued north to the North Fort. After the team turned around and headed south. About 10 minutes later, the convoy stopped at Nanpu. Xu Shiyou got out of the car, walked quickly to the other side of the car, opened the door, and carefully helped Chairman Mao to get out of the car. When Chairman Mao and Xu Shiyou stood still at the bridgehead, the camera immediately flashed a white light: the great man left his figure on the bridge.
Chairman Mao came to the cadres of the Second Independent Division and said: "Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is very important, and troops must guard the bridge." Then, Chairman Mao walked to the other waiting staff and shook hands with everyone. Everyone was very excited, cheering and applauding constantly.
According to Zhang Jingfang, the Reception Section of the Bridge Management Office, the previous news was that Chairman Mao was going to the bridgehead, so the Bridge Management Office made thorough and detailed preparations up and down. Chairman Mao is also a well-known poet and calligrapher. He hopes that after his visit, the poetry will become prosperous and leave his pen and ink. For this purpose, he has specially prepared the Four Treasures of the Study. Among the big people who visited the bridge, only two enjoyed this treatment, except for Chairman Mao, Guo Moruo.
Chairman Mao inspects the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (oil painting)
Chairman Mao’s car drove from the south approach bridge to the north of the Yangtze River, and then returned to the bridge between the large and small bridgeheads on the south of the highway bridge. A few minutes. The comrades at the reception desk were waiting for Chairman Mao’s arrival at the bridgehead, Xu Shiyou on the bridge grabbed Chairman Mao into the car and drove away. No one expected this! In her memory, visiting the bridge like Chairman Mao was unique in that there were few entourages and short visit time.
Bridge construction workers taking photos at the bridge construction site
Mechanic Dou Runfang recalled: At the bridge construction site, when I was most excited, it was the day Chairman Mao came to the bridge. In the middle of the night, there was silence on the Jiangbei construction site. The bridge workers who had been exhausted all day had entered a sweet dream. Suddenly, I was awakened by the tidy slogans and hurriedly walked out of the dormitory. The beam of searchlight pierced the night sky. The slogan came from the North Fort of the bridge. It sounded like hundreds of people shouting rhythmically: "Long live Chairman Mao" and "Long live Chairman Mao"! At that time, my mind was not flexible, and I didn't realize that Chairman Mao was here. I didn't know until the next morning. I regretted it at that time, I really regret it. I was wearing shorts at the time. If I was dressed neatly, I would definitely run.
Chairman Mao came to the bridge late at night. This news is like a warm current, nourishing everyone's heart.
Premier Zhou said: "I criticized you today,But I also learned something from you."
In the 1970s, Premier Zhou Enlai proudly told visiting international friends: "New China has two miracles, one is the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge and the other is the Hongqi Canal in Linxian County. . "Premier Zhou, who has a lot of opportunities, paid special attention to the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, a national project, and devoted a lot of effort. Many major issues were resolved under the auspices of Premier Zhou himself. After the bridge was completed, June 5, 1971 In the afternoon, Zhou Enlai accompanied the Romanian party and government delegation to Nanjing to visit the bridge. First, he took a yacht to see the whole view of the bridge in the river, and then took a car from the South Approach Bridge to the bridge, via Huilong Bridge to Nanpu to stop, Zhou Enlai and Romanian guests Step into the VIP reception room and take a seat on the first row of sofas.
Photograph of Premier Zhou with the Romanian foreign guests
Yang Zuxu, then deputy director of the Bridge Management Office, was a military cadre, even though he had made sufficient preparations beforehand , But still a little nervous before the battle. Yang Zuxu said: "The geological and hydrological conditions of the lower Yangtze River are very complicated. The US and Japanese imperialists once asserted that building bridges here is more difficult than climbing to the sky. We carried forward the spirit of self-reliance, designed and constructed ourselves, and built this world-famous Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge with our own materials.
Zhou Enlai immediately interrupted Yang Zuxu's words, and said solemnly: "Why don't you talk about the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge?" The construction of Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the development of the experience of Wuhan Bridge construction. The pipe string drilling method used for the Wuhan Bridge was designed by the Soviet expert Xilin. The Soviet Union did not adopt it. We adopted it in Wuhan and also in Nanjing, and it has developed. Xilin deserves credit for the construction of the bridge in our country. The Wuhan Bridge has erected a monument for the pipe column drilling method, and the Nanjing Bridge can display pictures of Xilin, and history must be respected.
In the atmosphere of the Cultural Revolution, Zhou Enlai publicly affirmed the contribution of Soviet experts to the construction of the Yangtze River Bridge. It has a special meaning and is a denial of historical nihilism and blind xenophobia. Zhou Enlai then said euphemistically: "You If you don’t explain a paragraph well, you must learn it if you don’t understand it. The next time you talk about it, you must make up this lesson.
Zhou Enlai listened to the introduction that the bridgehead was built in just 28 days, and asked: "How is the quality of the project?" "At this time, a deputy director who was in charge of production at the bridge management office in the back row stood up and replied: "We have checked,The quality is very good, no problem. Zhou Enlai looked back at him, and said in a very serious tone: "Young man, don't be full of words. Saying that everything is good, isn't it a ‘a little argument’? This is not in line with Mao Zedong Thought. Our bridge is not perfect, there have been cracks on the bridge. Zhou Enlai went on to say: "Achievements are the main thing, but I can't say enough. This kind of project will continue to develop in the future." "
Things are evolving. Premier Zhou’s evaluation of the bridge project is pragmatic. He talks about achievements and problems. In a few plain words, he shows the heart and tolerance of the prime ministers of great powers. Original The six-to-seven-minute explanation was extended by nearly half an hour. After listening to the introduction, Premier Zhou laughed and took the lead in applauding, and everyone present also clapped. Yang Zuxu led the foreign guests out of the reception room and prepared. When visiting the bridge, Premier Zhou took two steps and held Yang Zuxu's hand and said: "I criticized you today, but I also learned something from you!" Yang Zuxu was excited for a while not knowing what to say.
It turned out that one of the contents of Premier Zhou’s visit was to check the reception of foreign affairs. Just now I learned from the accompanying Commander Xu Shiyou that Yang Zuxu was the cadre of the army who came to support the left. This handshake was full of condolences and understanding, which made Yang Zuxu's heart. Suddenly hot, unforgettable for a lifetime.
Deng Xiaoping waved his hands again and again: "No need, no need!
On February 2, 1985, the weather was fine, but the city of Nanjing was still cold in spring and looked a bit gloomy. At 8 am, three cream-colored vans drove to the south bridgehead of the bridge. Deng Xiaoping and Wang Zhen were in Jiangsu and Nanjing. Accompanied by relevant leaders of the military region, they inspected the bridge and shook hands with the people waiting here with a smile on their faces and greeted everyone.
Deng Xiaoping, Wang Zhen and other central leaders visited the bridge
Deng Xiaoping and his party took off from Dabao The elevator first reached the railway bridge, and there were cold winds on the river. Deng Xiaoping walked in the forefront, followed by Liang Jinyu, the director of the bridge management office. He was worried that Deng Xiaoping would catch a cold, so he hurriedly took the coat from the entourage and put it on him Deng Xiaoping waved his hands again and again: "No need, no need! "Continue to look closely along the rails,Although the old man is 80 years old, he is still on his feet.
After Deng Xiaoping and Wang Zhen watched the railway bridge, they walked up to the east platform of the Nanda Fort with enthusiasm. At this time, the entourage proposed to take a photo with the two leaders. Deng Xiaoping saw Liang Jinyu standing beside him and hurriedly greeted him to stand in the middle of the group photo. After the photos were taken, Deng Xiaoping and Wang Zhen were not tired and continued to take a car to inspect the road bridge deck with great interest.
Hua Guofeng, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Hu Yaobang, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, also visited the bridge one after another. A bridge, three chairmen (general secretary) come to inspect, this is an unparalleled honor for any bridge.
displayed New China's business card to the public
On January 1, 1969, the bridge and highway bridge were delivered for use. In order to strengthen management, the Nanjing Military Region sent military representatives to transfer personnel from the Nanjing Railway Sub-bureau and the Municipal Urban Construction Bureau to form the Bridge Management Office to carry out external work.
According to the staff in charge of reception by the bridge, most of the state leaders at that time accompanied foreign guests or came to Nanjing to inspect the bridge, such as Li Xiannian, Ye Jianying, Xu Xiangqian, Wang Zhen, Deng Yingchao, Guo Moruo, Liao Chengzhi, etc. Has been here more than once.
After the Cultural Revolution passed, our poor friends, girlfriends, and children came from more countries. The Iranian princess stood on the bridgehead, and at a glance, the sky was blue, the Yangtze River was yellow, and the ground was lush and green. You could always see the Purple Mountain and the skyline of the Yangtze River. She said that it was the first time I saw such a beautiful scenery.
In April 1987, President Ershad of Bangladesh and his wife visited the Yangtze River Bridge.
Once, Peng Chong accompanied the Minister of Education of the Polish Government to visit the bridge. When I heard that the construction of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was originally intended to invite the Soviet Union to be experts as consultants, the Polish Minister of Education immediately intervened and said that their big river is the Volga River. There is no Yangtze River, and they have not built a bridge like yours. There will be no such thing. Kind of experience.
Japan once sent a 20-member civil engineering delegation to China. The members were all senior civil engineering authorities and they were very interested in the Nanjing Bridge. Atsushi Hirai, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, served as the Vice President of the World Bridge Society for 18 years.Keep asking this and that. During the conversation, they mentioned that some of the technologies used by the Nanjing Bridge have surpassed those in Japan. For example, the 480-meter-long welded seamless steel rail laid on the railway bridge, the 25-meter ordinary steel rail is still used in Japan. Later, Mr. Atsushi Hirai led a delegation to visit Nanjing Bridge twice to prepare for the erection of a suspension bridge for the super large railway from Honshu to Shikoku in Japan.
Overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots have also come, especially those who live overseas are very excited when they come. They said that after seeing the bridge, we felt that our waists abroad were hard, and we were proud of being Chinese. .
In 1970, Edgar Snow, the author of "Red Stars Shining on China" and a famous American journalist, visited the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
The famous nuclear physicist Wu Jianxiong and her husband Yuan Jialiu both came to visit the bridge. People ask questions from time to time and discuss with each other, which is very elegant. The Nobel Prize in Physics Yang Zhenning came with his mother. The old lady was very energetic. She wore traditional Chinese women's large-breasted clothes with Anhui accent. Yang Zhenning's mother was long and short, taking care of her all the way. At this time, Yang Zhenning is no longer a scientific superstar who has attracted much attention, but his son is accompanying his mother. The entourage said that Yang Zhenning's eyes were piercing and breathtaking. The American journalist Snow also came and said excitedly that the red flag sculpture is a very representative artistic symbol. In the past, the red flag guided the Chinese Communists to overcome difficulties and dangers and establish a new regime; now, the red flag calls on the people to build a happy and beautiful new life. The bridge connects China's past and future.
References for this article: "Across the Sky", interview notes
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