Above the Great River： Trilogy of Yangtze River Bridge Construction

Zhang Jianhua

Jiangsu People’s Publishing House

October 2019

78.00 （CNY）

This book depicts a panoramic picture of the Yangtze River Bridge construction during three periods -- the 1950s， the 1960s， and the 1980s. It reflects the industry development process of New China， shows the majestic momentum of national projects， and highlights the significant changes and achievements in the past 70 years since the founding of New China.

Above the Great River： Trilogy of Yangtze River Bridge Construction

One will have some wonderful ideas when he is excited. These wonderful ideas may make a difference.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year， when people were immersed in the joy of the Spring Festival， a survey team led by Mei Yangchun quietly arrived at the foot of Guishan Mountain in the north of Hanyang， Wuhan city.

It was past 4：00 p.m. when they arrived. They settled down in a shabby warehouse rented in advance. It was the first time for those young team members to come to Wuhan. They were eager to see the Yangtze River. However， Mei Yangchun said： “It’s late. We will not go out today. Let’s climb Guishan Mountain tomorrow morning.” The young team members said in unison： “Captain Mei， we don’t want to climb Guishan Mountain. We want to see the Yangtze River.” Mei Yangchun smiled： “You will see the Yangtze River clearly on Guishan Mountain.”

The next morning， all the members of the survey team climbed Guishan Mountain.

The mountain was originally named Dabie Mountain and then called Lushan Mountain. In the Ming Dynasty， Wang Jian， the governor of Hubei， changed Lushan Mountain to Guishan Mountain. He submitted a petition to the throne and was approved. Then， Lushan Mountain was changed to Guishan Mountain， and the name continued. Guishan Mountain faced a big river. It had the Hanshui River to the north， Moon Lake to the west， Lotus Lake to the South， and Snake Mountain， across the river.

The young team members stood on Guishan Mountain. In front of their eyes， the Yangtze River was more expansive and turbulent than they had imagined.

As Li Bai’s poem goes， “His lessening sail is lost in boundless azure sky， where I see but the endless river rolling by.” The surging river flowed endlessly to the horizon. It was very spectacular.

The team members were curious and excited， and everyone cheered.

Mei Yangchun had climbed Guishan Mountain and watched the Yangtze River many times. However， he was as curious and excited as these young team members who had seen the Yangtze River for the first time. He stood on a huge stone in a high place， pointing to the Yangtze River， and said to them loudly： “We will build an unprecedented bridge over this river！” All team members cheered at once.

“Captain Mei， where will the bridge be built？” eagerly asked Zhao Jingming， a young member.

“This is our task during this survey in Wuhan，” said Mei Yangchun to them， “We are not clear where to build the bridge. We must determine it according to our survey.”

Another young member shouted： “Let’s hurry up！”

Mei Yangchun looked at these simple young people and smiled： “The survey work is not easy. We need many preparations. Today I will just show you the Yangtze River and let you get familiar with the environment. You may go around and have a look. At noon， everyone will gather here and we will go back.”

Hu Shiti， the vice captain， said to Mei Yangchun： “Captain， you may go back. I will show them around the bank.”

“All right. You may show them around. I will not leave here. I will stay here waiting for you.” Saying this， Mei Yangchun sat on a huge stone， and watched as Vice Captain Hu and other team members headed down the mountain to the bank.

Perhaps because of the Spring Festival， or the cold weather， almost no one came up Guishan Mountain that day. Mei Yangchun sat there alone and watched the Yangtze River affectionately. It’s true that the view is changed and created by the mind. He didn’t know how many times he had been here. The Yangtze River remained here， but it had changed in front of his eyes. It seemed so bright， so magnificent， and so lovely！ He wondered whether Li Bai saw the scenery and had feelings， and wrote the lines “I climb to the mountain top， watching the magnificent view. The great river runs away and never comes back.” At the moment， he found himself comical. As a bridge architect， he knew nothing about literature. He didn’t know when and where Li Bai wrote these lines， but he used them in a far-fetched manner. However， to him it didn’t matter. No matter where Li Bai wrote it， the lines depicted a similar view：

In the early morning， the Yangtze River was like a long silver dragon， surging and rolling eastward. Above the great river， a flaming sun was bursting out， and the gorgeous glow was spreading in the east. The waves were sparkling instantly， and the water became a bright mirror.

At sunrise， riverside flowers are redder than fire. In spring， green waves grow as blue as sapphire. Mei Yangchun looked into the distance. He couldn’t help but fill his mind with floating thoughts. Suddenly， he found the sunlight as red and gorgeous as that on Tian’anmen Square the other day.

What an exciting moment it was！

Mei Yangchun had never dreamed that he would be invited to the founding ceremony of New China as an engineer who came from the old days.

On that day， he got up before dawn and came to Tian’anmen Square with his delegation at about six in the morning. The sky was clear and blue. Soon， the sun rose from the east like a huge fireball and ejected golden light. People cheered in unison. At noon， Tian’anmen Square was crowded with people who merged into a sea of joy. The red flag flew like rolling waves on the river.

At three o’clock in the afternoon， the exciting moment arrived. An avalanche of applause burst out on the square. Mao Zedong， President of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China， and other leaders of the central government appeared at the Tian’anmen Gate， waving to the people. Then， with the majestic March of the Volunteers， President Mao Zedong solemnly announced： “The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China is formally established as of today！”

Zhang Jianhua

Zhang Jianhua is a doctor of Literature， the current president of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles， the president of Jiangsu Contemporary Art Creation Research Association， a member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles， a member of China Writers Association， and a member of China Reportage Association.