Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge

Completed in 1957 as the "First Bridge over the Ten-Thousand-Li Yangtze" (Soviet-assisted design, road-rail dual use); "A flying bridge spans north and south, turning the natural moat into a thoroughfare" (Mao Zedong's ci poem); from the deck walkway you can view Yellow Crane Tower and Qingchuan Pavilion on the two banks. The Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, completed in 1957, was the first bridge over the ten-thousand-li Yangtze; its road-rail steel structure was designed and built with the aid of Soviet experts, and decorative motifs of the Soviet flag and the five-star red flag still survive on the bridge's steel beams; Mao Zedong's line "A flying bridge spans north and south, turning the natural moat into a thoroughfare" made it a symbol of New China's construction. Walking across takes about 20 minutes: from the deck walkway, Yellow Crane Tower rises against the hill on one side while Qingchuan Pavilion faces it across the river on the other, and the slight tremor when a train thunders past on the lower deck is a one-of-a-kind experience; the CNY 2 elevator in the bridgehead tower takes you down to the riverbank, and once the night lights come on, it becomes a classic image of a Wuhan evening out.

Getting there: Bridgehead tower elevator CNY 2