Bridgekeeper's Long March told in iron chains

In 1982, Wang Qixue, then a young man, first set foot on Luding Bridge to repair it. With minor repairs every three years and major repairs every five years, and removing deck boards, unloading cables, pulling chains, he has been doing this work for more than forty years.

The iron chains bear marks, and their sounds echo. Throughout more than forty years of his “Long March” while working with the chains of Luding Bridge, tapping the chains and listening to their sound to maintain the iron chains has become Wang’s unique skill.

To Wang Qixue, his father’s commitment to the bridge-repair work has always been an inspiration to him. Carrying on his father’s legacy and passing on the craft of bridge repairing, Wang is also walking on his own “Long March.” (By Xue Lingqiao)