Building Bridges between East and West through Education and Cultural Exchange
Wuhan — First Bridge on a Sunday
My first view of First Bridge occurred when we drove over it from Hankou to Wuchang. Two lanes each way. Note the towers ahead towards the end of the bridge. (We’ll see one of these closeup later.)
Coming off the bridge we are confonted by the majestic Yellow Crane Tower, so famous in Wuhan.
Now atop the tower, on a hazy day, I get my first good glimpse of the famous bridge and the river. The bridge itself is over 1100 metres in length.
Later, down on the banks of the Yangtze River, we enjoy the views as we stroll on a Sunday afternoon. The birds, here, are the Yellow Cranes which figure in stories of the first settlements in the area.
The Soviet style bridge was built to carry rail traffic on the lower level and road traffic on the upper level.
Ahh… there is one of the four Chinese-style towers, located at each end of the bridge.
But on this Sunday afternoon in March, the bridge and river bank are a great place to gather and enjoy life.
Today, a number of vocalists and their bands compete with each other for the attention of onlookers.
The background here is the base of the bridge tower seen in the earlier photo.
Onlookers enjoy the warm sun, the sights, and sounds…
Ferries load and unload passengers, reminding me of the great barrier this river was to trade and commerce prior to completion of the bridge in 1957.
And to the left of the bridge itself (upstream), the skyscrapers of Hankou remind us again of the rapid development occuring here, as elsewhere, in the New China.
