This Chinese painting was created by Chinese artist Wei Zixi in the 1970s.

It was modeled on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the first modern bridge designed and built by China.

For decades, the Beijing-Shanghai railway line was divided by the Yangtze River. Passengers and goods had to cross the river by ferry.

To improve efficiency and save time, China started building a double-decker road-and-rail truss bridge spanning the river in Nanjing in east China's Jiangsu Province in 1960.

Meanwhile, relations between China and the Soviet Union hit a rough patch.

The Soviet Union withdrew its bridge engineering experts and construction plans and stopped supplying steel.

China had to complete construction on its own.

Chinese technicians worked around the clock to develop special steel required by the construction and came up with a more durable material.

Many local organizations contributed their expertise and manpower.

The bridge opened for traffic in 1968.

On the opening day, 118 tanks drove over the bridge to test its load capacity.

At that time, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest road-and-rail bridge.

The river crossing time was reduced from nearly two hours to two minutes.

The bridge has served as the main artery for north-south transportation in China and changed the lives of the city's residents.

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