Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge stretched across the Yangtze River (the largest river in China, ranking the third largest one in the world) and plays an important role in promoting the communication between both banks of the Yangtze River. In 1960s, the bridge was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘the longest bridge with dual functions of highway and railway’.
Overview
The construction of Nanjing Yangtze Bridge was finished in 1968, taking eight years. The bridge is the first double-deck combined bridge solely designed and constructed by Chinese in China. The main bridge portion of Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge spans 1,557 meters (about 5,108 ft) and the bridge approach measures 3,012 meters (9,882 ft) The upper deck is for highway with 4,589 meters (15,956 ft) long, and the roadway is 15 meters (49 ft) wide. On the both sides, there are 2-meter or 6.7-ft wide sidewalks. The lower deck is for railway with 6,772 meters (22,218 ft) long and 14 meters (46 ft) wide.
The bridge for highway is built with Chinese traditional style of double-convex arch bridge. There are 200 reliefs made by cast iron inlayed into the railings of the main bridge portion for highway. At both ends of the bridge situate two bridge towers with about 10-meter-height sculptures lying in front of them (these sculptures symbolize labor, peasant, soldier, student and businessman, which is typical civilization of the Cultural Revolution, a political movement leaded by Mao Zedong from 1966 to 1976), and each of them is 70 meters (about 230 ft) high. Visitors can take elevator to reach the belvedere to have a view for the vast Yangtze River and the marvelous bridge. In addition, under the south bridge tower is Daqiao Park with nice landscape.
The bridge has nine piers. The largest one is 85 meters (279 ft) high and the basal area is about 400 square meters (4,305 square ft), larger than a basketball court. At night, the bridge is decorated by 1,048 floodlights, 540 halogen lamps and 150pairs of street lamps shaped in magnolia flower, which makes the bridge a string of glowing pearl stretching across the Yangtze River.
Travel Essentials
How to get there: Visitors can take buses 132, 136, 150, 151 and 159 to the bridge, and there are bus stops on the bridge.
Ticket Price: the ticket price for Daqiao Park is 7 yuan per person, and that for visiting bridge towers is 8 yuan per person.
