Tianjin bridge rings in momentous anniversary

The Jiefang Bridge, literally translated as Liberation Bridge, is a steel-structured movable bridge unveiled on July 1 to celebrate the 98-year-anniversary of the Communist Party of China.

The bridge, a historical icon in Tianjin, was built in 1927 and recently renovated. It only unfolds its steel structure during important festivals and folds in to facilitate traffic in the daytime.

The unfolding movement of the bridge with lit decorations highlighted the evening view of the Haihe River, the mother river of the city.

Thousands of local citizens and travelers in Tianjin witnessed the momentous occasion on the evening of July 1.

The bridge was constructed to link nine concessions in the 1920s and played a key role in blocking Japanese aggression in a battle in 1937 because of its movable function.

It was named Wanguo Bridge, literally meaning "the bridge connecting thousands of countries", in the 1920s.

It was then named after former Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek in the 1940s and gained its current name, Jiefang Bridge, after the liberation of Tianjin in 1949.