Visitors look at historical photos about the Qiantang River Bridge's enduring legacy. [Photo/IC]

Visitors gathered on July 23 at the Qiantang River Bridge Exhibition Hall in Hangzhou — capital of East China's Zhejiang province — to honor the bridge's enduring legacy, as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and World War II (1939-45).

Designed by renowned engineer Mao Yisheng, the Qiantang River Bridge was China's first double-deck road-rail bridge, completed in 1937.

The bridge is China's first double-deck road-rail bridge. [Photo/IC]

Merely 89 days after its opening, he made the painful decision to destroy the bridge to slow the advance of Japanese forces — a move that etched the structure into the annals of the national resistance.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1946, serving not only as a vital north-south link across the river, but also as a living monument to resilience. Once a lifeline for the wartime evacuation of civilians and troops, the bridge has silently borne witness to both hardship and the remarkable transformation of Hangzhou over the past eight decades.

Today, the Qiantang River Bridge stands alongside the city's modern skyline — including the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center — connecting the past with the present and telling the enduring story of strength through steel and sacrifice.

A bird's-eye view of the Qiantang River Bridge. [Photo/IC]