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Explore the region
About Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
Opened in 1957, it put road traffic above a double railway track and replaced the cumbersome ferrying of trains across the river. Its steel spans link Snake Hill in Wuchang with Turtle Hill in Hanyang. Riverbank viewpoints reveal the two-deck structure especially clearly; a full pedestrian crossing is a separate, exposed walk beside traffic, so decide whether you want an architectural view or the crossing itself.
The bridge's construction used a new tubular pile-drilling method (管柱钻孔法) in place of the traditional pneumatic caisson method, which sped up the work and let the bridge open about two years ahead of schedule. Once complete, it linked with the separately built Han River railway bridge and the Jianghan Bridge to join Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang for the first time, ending the earlier separation of the three towns across the river. The earliest attempt to bridge the towns had come during the Taiping Rebellion, when a large pontoon bridge was built in 1852-1853 and later destroyed.
In late 1955, after learning that the bridge was using the tubular pile-drilling method, the Soviet Union sent a delegation led by its transport engineering minister to observe the work, and China's railway ministry and the Soviet transport engineering ministry signed an agreement giving the technique a positive assessment. The bridge was listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 2013.
What to look for
- The steel truss spans and the separate road and railway decks.
- The relationship between Snake Hill and Turtle Hill on opposite banks.
Background & history
The Wuhan Yangtze Great Bridge (simplified Chinese: 武汉长江大桥; traditional Chinese: 武漢長江大橋; pinyin: Wǔhàn Chángjiāng Dàqiáo), commonly known as Wuhan First Yangtze Bridge, is a double-deck road and rail bridge across the Yangtze River in Wuhan, in Central China. The bridge extends 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from Turtle Hill in Hanyang, on the northern bank of the Yangtze, to Snake Hill in Wuchang, on the southern bank of the Yangtze. Plans for the bridge's construction were first made in 1910. A total of four exploratory surveys were made between 1913 and 1948 to identify a suitable site, but economic limitations and the combination of World War II and the Chinese Civil War prevented the bridge's building until the 1950s. Actual construction began in September 1955 and was completed in October 1957. The upper level of the bridge is a two-way, four-lane automobile highway. The lower level is a double-track railway on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway line.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
Location & getting there
Getting to Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
Choose the Wuchang Snake Hill end or the Hanyang Turtle Hill end before setting out. For a bridge view, use the signed public riverside approaches; follow designated pedestrian access if crossing and do not enter rail or maintenance areas.
Combine your visit
A suggested order for exploring this place and its immediate setting.
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Wuchang riverside view武昌江岸
Look along the steel spans from below.
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Designated bridge footway长江大桥人行道
If desired, cross using the public pedestrian route.
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Hanyang riverbank汉阳江岸
Compare the bridge profile and the Wuchang skyline from the other side.
Check access to the individual stops. A suggested sequence does not imply a combined ticket or guaranteed transfer.
Find Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
武汉长江大桥 · 武汉市
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Yellow Crane Tower 黄鹤楼
Less than 1 km awayYellow Crane Tower rises above Snake Hill with layered roofs and wide views towards the Yangtze. Its literary fame is much older than the building: the present tower was completed in 1985 after earlier versions repeatedly burned…
View guide →Qingchuan Pavilion 晴川阁
1 km awayQingchuan Pavilion occupies a river-facing position on the Hanyang side of Wuhan. The visit joins three distinct elements: the pavilion itself, Yuji Palace and Tiemen Gate. Together they connect a river panorama with the memory…
View guide →Guqin Tai 古琴台
3 km awayGuqin Tai commemorates the story of the musician Boya and Zhong Ziqi, the listener who understood his playing. Its setting between Turtle Hill and Moon Lake gives the musical tradition a quiet landscape context. The memorial has…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors: Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1333383803.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "武汉长江大桥", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 92480044.