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What does it take to cross a river when the bridge is gone?

On May 29, 1935, the Red Army reached Luding Bridge in western Sichuan and found only 13 iron chains hanging over the Dadu River. The planks were gone. Machine guns waited on the other side.

Twenty-two soldiers crawled across, under fire, and took the bridge – breaking the blockade and opening the road north for the Long March.

The old bridge still stands, and Luding has changed. But the courage is still here.

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The iron chains of Luding: The Long March's legendary bridge crossing