The Great Bridge over the Yangzi River [Nanjing]

The Great Bridge over the Yangzi River in Nanjing is not only a striking example of post-Revolutionary art and engineering, but the story behind it is a source of pride for people throughout China, and especially those in Nanjing. The Yangzi River at Nanjing is quite wide, and for centuries the river had always been crossed by ferry. After the 1949 Revolution, China worked closely with the Soviet Union, and the Soviets provided many technical advisors and engineers. One challenging project the two nations planned to work on together was the construction of a bridge at Nanjing. Unfortunately, the relations between the two countries deteriorated in the early 1960's, and the USSR brought all of its engineers home. Before they left, they commented that without Soviet advice, China would be unable to build a such a long bridge at Nanjing. Unwilling to give up, Chinese engineers managed to overcome the challenge and create this monumental and impressive bridge.
The architecture and decoration of the bridge is perhaps the most fascinating - it vividly evokes the enthusiasm and patriotism of the 1960's in China. The huge piers of the bridge are capped with towers topped by giant glass sculptures representing red flags surging forward. Beneath the giant flags stand over-life size groups of statues Designed in a Socialist Realist style, the colossal statues show workers, students, soldiers, and engineers, all armed with their respective tools and looks of intense determination on their faces. If you look closely you can even notice one African, a allusion to the close relationship between 1960's China and the anti-colonial movements in Africa. Several hundred magnolia shaped lamps line the bridge, so that when night walls it looks like a chain of pearls draped across the inky black of the great river.