In 1961, artist Ai Zhongxin created a classic oil painting titled "Crossing the Yellow River at Night" to commemorate a turning point in the China's War of Liberation (1945-1949).

The painting has a great sense of space, and it shows the artist's unique perspective, showing the relationship between the soldiers, the river and the night sky at another key moment in the party's history.

The Yellow River is China's second-longest river and spans more than 5,400 km.

Originating in Qinghai Province in Northwestern China, it flows east through nine provinces then empties into the Bohai Sea.

It was flood season when the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) planned to cross the Yellow River. 

The water level rose, and the current was swift. Only experienced boatmen could cross the river during the day.

On June 30, 1947, PLA headquarters ordered 120,000 troops to cross the river under the cover of darkness.

The soldiers boarded wooden boats with machine guns and prepared to attack.

On the other side of the river, the PLA assault force broke through the Kuomintang's defensive lines.

After three nights of combat, all of the troops had made it across.

When the PLA marched onto China's Central Plains, it marked a shift in the Party's overall combat strategy from defensive to offensive.

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