The first comprehensive Bridge Museum in China opened in Wuhan, capital city of Central China’s Hubei province on Dec 18, according to the Changjiang Daily newspaper.
The floor area of the exhibition hall is nearly 3,000 square meters. Eight exhibition areas vividly show the history of bridge construction in China and even around the world.
Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was completed and opened to traffic on Oct 15,1957, connecting Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang, as well as the north and south traffic.
The construction of Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge began in the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949) and Sun Yat-sen put forward the idea of building the bridge in 1912.
Officials said that Zhan Tianyou, Li Wenji, Mei Minchun and Mao Yisheng have put forward four versions of bridge construction ideas.
They added that the bridge museum has also simulated the construction site of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge in the exhibition hall, presenting the hot riveting technology of steel beam member bars.
Information on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is also in display in the museum. It is the first dual-use railway and highway bridge designed and constructed in China with materials produced in China.
The diving suit worn by Hu Baoling, a bridge builder and diver, is being displayed in the museum.
In order to carry out underwater exploration and construction, Hu broke through the established safety barrier of diving 60 meters deep and descended 70 meters.
The Museum displays many kinds of bridges -- including beam bridges, arch bridges, floating bridges and cable bridges. At the opening ceremony, the staff demonstrated that the simplest "Hongqiao" structure was built into a bridge with nine small round wooden sticks, without one nail and one rivet and only connected by grooves and clasps.
In addition, the museum also displays all 50 kinds of embossed patterns on bridges, including flowers, birds and folk patterns. It also displays the bridge deck railings on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge which uses "Zhengqi steel" or 16Mn manganese steel.
All kinds of moulds, models and multi-media display screens fully and vividly show the construction technology of the bridge, as well as a VR game called "Fast Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao".
Officials said it is like driving on the longest cross sea bridge in the world -- the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Bridge Museum Visiting Information
The museum is open to the public free of charge. Citizens can make an appointment at the WeChat public account Wuhan Bridge Museum some 24 hours in advance and visit it with their ID card.
Location: first floor of the Bridge Science and Technology Building of the China Railway Bridge Bureau. No 6, Sixin Avenue, Hanyang district, Wuhan.
Opening hours: 9 am - 5 pm from Monday to Saturday with a last admission time of 4 pm
By bus: take bus No 517 to Bridge Science and Technology Building Station on Meilin Third Street, or take bus No 547 to Meilin Second Street Station on West Tonggang Road and walk about 500 meters to destination.
By subway: take rail transit Line 6 to Wuhan International Expo Center South Station, transfer to bus No 517 to Bridge Science and Technology Building Station on Meilin Third Street.
Group reservation and service hotline: 84596549, 84596249
