Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
南京长江大桥
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Coordinates 32°06′55″N 118°44′20″E / 32.115278°N 118.738889°E / 32.115278; 118.738889Coordinates: 32°06′55″N 118°44′20″E / 32.115278°N 118.738889°E / 32.115278; 118.738889
Carries Beijing–Shanghai Railway
National Highway 104
National Highway 205
National Highway 312
Crosses Yangtze River
Locale  China: Nanjing, Jiangsu
Owner People's Government of Nanjing
Shanghai Railway Bureau
Characteristics
Design Double-decked truss bridge
Material Steel
Total length Main Bridge: 1,576 metres (5,171 ft)
Highway: 4,588 metres (15,052 ft)
Railway: 6,772 metres (22,218 ft)
Width Highway Bridge: 19.5 metres (64 ft) (with 4.5 metres (15 ft) pedestrian path)
Railway: 14 metres (46 ft)
Height 70 metres (230 ft)
Longest span 160 metres (525 ft)
Number of spans 10
Clearance below 24 metres (79 ft)
History
Designer Ministry of Railways
Construction begin 18 January 1960
Construction end Railway: 30 September 1968
Highway: 29 December 1968
Replaces Yangtze River Railway Ferry
Statistics
Daily traffic 80,000 vehicles
200 pairs of trains (2011)
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Location in Jiangsu

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (Chinese: 南京长江大桥; pinyin: Nánjīng Chángjiāng Dàqiáo) is a double-decked road-rail truss bridge across the Yangtze River between Pukou and Xiaguan in Nanjing, China. Its upper deck is part of China National Highway 104, spanning 4,588 metres (15,052 ft). Its lower deck, with a double-track railway, is 6,772 metres (22,218 ft) long, and completes the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, which had been divided by the Yangtze for decades. Its right bridge consists of nine piers, with the maximum span of 160 metres (525 ft) and the total length of 1,576 metres (5,171 ft). The bridge carries approximately 80,000 vehicles and 200 trains per day.

The bridge was completed and open for traffic in 1968. It was the third bridge over the Yangtze after the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Chongqing Baishatuo Yangtze River Bridge. It was the first heavy bridge designed and built using Chinese expertise.

Suicide site

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge has surpassed the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge as the most popular suicide site in the world, with more than 2,000 suicides estimated by 2006.[1] The majority of those who commit suicide at the bridge come from outside of Nanjing.[2] Precise statistics are unknown, as many bodies are never recovered and police do not include among the total deaths people who have jumped off the bridge, only to miss the water and hit the riverbanks below.[3] Police records from 2007 showed that 100 to 200 people are "rescued or restrained" each year on the bridge.[4]

A local man, Chen Si (Chinese: 陈思), has been hailed as a hero for saving the lives of more than 300 people planning to jump off the bridge.[5] Since 2004, Chen has devoted his free time to patrolling the bridge to help anyone in distress, including follow-up phone calls for support and offering them a place to stay in his extra bedroom.[3]

A feature documentary has been made about Chen Si and some of the people he has saved. It also goes into some of the reasons why so many people come here to try and end their lives. The film, titled Angel of Nanjing, has won several awards.[6]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Sun Xiaoyu (September 28, 2006). :zh=2000自杀者为何选择南京长江大桥？ [Why have 2,000 people killed themselves at the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge?]. People's Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ↑ Xu Dawei (15 October 2014). 邱志杰个展《南京长江大桥自杀干预计划（五）——齐物》在南京艺术学院美术馆开幕 [For jumpers, suicide at the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is like a 'pilgrimage']. Phoenix New Media (in Chinese). Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 Michael Paterniti (May 2010). "The Suicide Catcher". GQ. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Nanjing Yangtze Bridge Favorite Spot for Suicide". Xinhua News Agency. January 25, 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Liang Chen (19 April 2013). "Man devotes life to thwarting suicide attempts, rehabilitating". Global Times. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.AngelofNanjing.com
Bibliography
  • Gao Mobo (2008). The Battle for China's Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Pluto Press: Verso. ISBN 978-0-7453-2780-8. 
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