State contractor builds bridge to connect old revolutionary base with prosperous future

An old revolutionary base with many cultural relics, Yudu county, Jiangxi province, is set to witness faster socioeconomic development and better livelihoods, as the construction of a vital conduit in the county progresses steadily, said China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp Ltd (CR24) working in Yudu.

Connecting the north and south banks of the Yudu River, the 960-meter Jijie bridge recently achieved full linkage, which "will transform local infrastructure and accelerate development in a region with a storied Communist past", according to CR24, a unit of China Railway Construction Corp.

"The bridge will be a new landmark in the once poverty-stricken county, better connecting the county's old districts in the north with new ones in the south," said Yin Zhangyong, project manager with CR24.

Referring to the name of the bridge — Jijie, or "gathering" — the manager said the bridge takes its name from an event 86 years ago that shaped China's future. In October 1934, 86,000 main force troops of the Central Red Army assembled in Yudu county before departing on the Long March.

In May 2019, during an investigation tour to Jiangxi, President Xi Jinping came to Yudu county and paid tribute to a monument marking the start of the Long March by the Central Red Army. In April 2020, the county was removed from the list of poverty-stricken counties.

"To overcome geological challenges and complete the complex project, our builders used precision analysis software, accurate tower modeling and precision measurements, and managed to finish the six-lane bridge framework ahead of schedule," Yin said, adding that the landmark structure will serve as an emblem of Yudu's ambition to become a regional hub.

With the full linkage complete, the bridge, which was built with a total investment of 453 million yuan ($65.5 million), is expected to open for transport in June and will cut travel time between old and new districts from 30 minutes to just 10 minutes. "Final operation is pending only on some finishing touches," the CR24 manager said.

At a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China analyzing the current economic situation and economic work late last month, expanding demand was highlighted for its role in boosting the momentum of the nation's economic recovery.

Reviving and expanding demand is the key to a sustained economic recovery, said the meeting, during which more efforts were urged to boost household incomes through multiple channels, improve the consumption environment and promote service consumption in such fields as culture and tourism.

Investments in large and strategic infrastructure projects are critical to stabilizing growth, promoting upgrading in regions with out-of-date infrastructure and improving livelihoods, as investments in such projects, which feature large investments, a strong industrial chain and are labor intensive, will not only step up the overall construction progress but also facilitate the development of relevant industries along the chain, bringing a direct driving force to industrial production, said Luo Huanjie, a senior analyst at Zhixin Investment Research Institute, who was quoted by Economic Information Daily.

Infrastructure investment, supported by ample funding and project stock, will continue to be a major driving force for China in the second quarter, Luo said, adding that as warm days are approaching, construction projects nationwide will see even faster progress, bringing further demand to industries along the chain.

China's fixed-asset investment expanded 5.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, the same as the full year of 2022 and down from 5.5 percent in the first two months of this year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The country's fixed-asset investment — excluding rural households — reached 10.73 trillion yuan in the first three months, driven by an 8.8 percent growth in infrastructure investment on a yearly basis and a 7 percent growth in manufacturing investment.