Nanjing Yantze River Bridge
The Constructions on the Bridgehead
Yangtze River Bridge
Constructed in 1968, the Yangtze River Bridge of Nanjing is the first railway-highway bridge over the Yangtze River designed by a Chinese architect. It is also the longest bridge of its kind in China. Seen from afar, the whole bridge is like a majestic rainbow above water. It is a must-see for travelers to Nanjing.
The bridge is divided into two stories, the upper which is used as highway, and the lower railway level. The highway is 4,589 m (15,056 ft) long, and 15 m (49 ft) wide, allowing 4 large-sized cars to run parallel. There is a footway with a width of over 2 meters (6.6 ft) on either side of the highway. The railway, being 6,772 m (22,218 ft) long and 14 m (46 ft) wide, allows two trains to run simultaneously in opposite directions. The bridge has 9 piers and 10 openings. The openings of the main bridge span 160 m (525 ft), with a highest height of 85 m (279 ft). Under the bridge huge vessels of 10,000 tons (22 million pounds) are able to pass through.
On both banks of the river are twin bridge towers, which are equipped with elevators leading to the railway bridge, highway bridge and the top observation post. The bridge is also decorated with hundreds of relievos and thousands of different kinds of lights, which make the bridge even more spectacular in the night. In addition, below the southern bridge tower is a scenic park, and an exhibition hall for visitors to learn about the history of the bridge.
Entrance Fees:
Yangtze River Bridge Park CNY 7
Bridge Tower CNY 8 (including charges for the roundtrip elevator and the exhibition hall)
Opening Hours: 05:30 - 21:30 (Bridge Tower on the upper reaches)
Bus Routes: Take Bus No. 12, 15, 67, 69, 307, 601, 132, 150, 136, 151 or 159 and get off at Daqiao North Road or Bei Qiaotoubao.
Mingxiaoling Mausoleum
The Mingxiaoling Mausoleum located in the Zhongshan Scenic Area of eastern Nanjing is the joint tomb of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) Zhu Yuanzhang and his empress Ma. The mausoleum was the first of an ancient epoch of Chinese imperial mausoleums, which influenced all those of later dynasties of the Ming and Qing (1644 - 1911). It was listed as a world heritage site - Royal Mausoleum of Ming and Qing Dynasties - in 2003.
Mingxiaoling Mausoleum
Withered by nature and wars, many wooden portions of the mausoleum were lost. However, all of the buildings remain where they were and the natural sights are not damaged. From the remains that still endure it is possible to glimpse its past resplendence. The attractions that can be seen within the area include Grand Gold Gate, Square City, Sacred Way, Tomb of Sun Quan (the king of Wu State during Three Kingdoms Period), Tablet Hall, Sacrificial Hall, Rectangular Citadel, Ming Tower, Treasure Top (the spot of the underground palace), Round Plum Blossom Mountain and Purple Clouds Lake.
The construction of the Mingxiaoling Mausoleum was begun in 1381 and completed in 1413. It cost a tremendous amount in manpower and material resources. The scale of it is said to be half of that of Nanjing City as it was then. In the mausoleum were planted 100 thousand pine trees and a thousand deer were carefully cared for. It is one of the largest mausoleums remaining in China now. The buildings are majestic on the whole and exquisite in the detail. Both the architectural and sculptural art of it represent the highest of that to be found during that time.
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Tickets:
Entrance Fee: CNY 70 for adults; CNY 35 for kids between 1.2 - 1.5 m
Mini-train Fare: CNY 3 (free with the entrance ticket)
Sight-seeing Car Fare: CNY 10 per person
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00
Transportation:
a. Take Bus No. 20, 315 or Tour Bus No. 3 and get off at Mingxiaoling stop;
b. Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Mingxiaoling Muxuyuan station.
More Tourist Attractions in Nanjing:
