The Flood Control Memorial Tower (防洪胜利纪念碑), located on the southern bank of the Songhua River in Harbin, commemorates the victory of the people of Harbin over the devastating flood of 1957. It was completed on October 1, 1958, and was co-designed by Soviet architect Bagis Zhelev and Li Guangyao, a second-generation architect from Harbin Institute of Technology. The site for the tower was selected by the then-mayor of Harbin, Lv Qien.
The memorial consists of four parts: the tower itself, a fountain, a surrounding corridor, and a square. The tower’s base is square and tapers from a wider bottom to a narrower top, constructed from durable deep green granite aggregate. Above the base, wavy cement columns rise, featuring 24 life-sized bronze relief sculptures depicting historical figures. The tower stands at 22.5 meters tall, with an oval shape made up of 20 curved granite blocks. At its peak, there is a 3.5-meter tall full-body statue of an intellectual representing workers, farmers, and soldiers, along with scenes depicting Russians participating in flood relief efforts.
Surrounding the tower, there are 20 Corinthian columns arranged in a semi-circular Roman-style colonnade that measures 35 meters in length, connecting the mural walls at either end. The two levels of water basins at the base of the tower symbolize the water levels of the significant floods in 1957 and 1932. Above the basins, a golden metal line marks the historical high water level of the catastrophic flood in 1998, which occurred on August 22.
In 1990, the Harbin municipal construction department installed a large music-controlled colored fountain in the pool in front of the memorial tower. This fountain symbolizes the bravery and intelligence of the citizens of Harbin, who have tamed the tumultuous river waters into a gentle flow, benefitting the people and mitigating future disasters.
Basic Information
| Estimated Length of Tour | 30 minutes |
| Ticket Price | Free |
| Opening Hours | 24 hours a day |
Location and Transportation
The Flood Control Memorial Tower is located at No. 259-7, Central Avenue, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. To get there, you can take bus 2, 24, 56, 65, 74, 79, 85, 103, 118, or 201 and get off at Flood Control Memorial Tower Stop (防洪纪念塔站).
