Echoes of Courage: The Living History of Luding Bridge

BEIJING, July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on an international group retracing the Luding Bridge crossing and sharing their reflections on the enduring legacy of the Long March through global communication.

"Were they human beings or madmen or gods?"

That was the question American journalist Edgar Snow captured in "Red Star Over China," reflecting the awe of the opposing troops who tried to hold the bridge against Red Army soldiers in a desperate battle nearly 90 years ago.

The answer lies right here, at Luding Bridge.

In May 1935, only 13 iron chains stood between the Red Army and survival. Twenty-two of its soldiers volunteered to lead the way across. Behind them stood an entire army; ahead lay a hail of enemy gunfire; below, the roaring Dadu River.

Snow later recorded this dramatic episode in his book "Red Star Over China."

The battle — the heroic seizing of Luding Bridge — was a key episode in the Long March, a 12,500-kilometer trek the Red Army undertook from 1934 to 1936 to break through enemy encirclement.

By the time they reached the Dadu River, they had been marching for months. But this river loomed as the ultimate barrier to their path north. Luding Bridge became their only viable hope. Losing it could have ended the Long March.

Defying overwhelming odds, they crossed under a hail of fire. The victory paved the way north and became one of the defining moments of the Long March.

Today, Luding Bridge is welcoming people from around the world.

As a major stop on the Sichuan leg of China International Communications Group (CICG)'s "Together on the Long March" international communication project, Luding Bridge welcomes participants from around the world as they retrace the Long March, revisit the places where history unfolded, and explore why this journey continues to inspire people today.

Like Zhavier Harris, marketing and communications manager at Springfield Urban League, observed, the battle was "a direct reflection of the resilience of the Red Army soldiers." Learning how they survived on hardened rice while drenched in rain, sweat and blood, then crossed the swaying iron chains under enemy fire while looking after their comrades, gave him "an even deeper appreciation of their courage and determination."

Television presenter Iain Inglis said, "The 22 people... were all in their early twenties," he said. "They had the future before them, but despite that, they were willing to lay down their lives." Inglis said he "could not have imagined having to face something like that."

That feeling was shared by Sky Gommeren, a student at California State University, Northridge.

"A lot of the soldiers were probably around my age," he said. "I've never had anything close to this kind of experience." Living in peacetime, he said, made him appreciate even more the sacrifices made by those who fought for what they believed was an important cause.

For Elsbeth van Paridon, a foreign expert and sinologist at CICG, preserving places like Luding Bridge matters because "it's keeping history alive, and their stories are still being told."

More than 90 years later, the bridge still stands. But everything around it has changed.

The battlefields are now peaceful villages. The rugged mountain roads have become highways and tunnels.

Along the Dadu River, communities are building a new future through eco-tourism, agriculture and their historical legacy.

In Lengqi Town, revolutionary heritage and green development are now intertwined. Visitors come not only to honor the past but also to experience the beauty and vitality of today's Luding.

Standing here today, it's impossible not to admire the courage it took to cross this bridge.

But perhaps the real legacy of Luding Bridge isn't just the battle itself.

It's the belief that even in the hardest moments, people can still find a way forward.

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm 

Echoes of Courage: The Living History of Luding Bridge
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-07/10/content_118593079.shtml 

SOURCE China.org.cn