China Picture of the Day: 24 September 2010 ~ Friendship and Broken Bridges

After finding our way back to Jack, our wonderful driver, Nancy and I were then taken back into Dandong to Broken and Friendship Bridges along the Yalu River. The China-North Korea Friendship Bridge connects the cities of Dandong, China and Sinuiju, North Korea. Constructed by the Japanese between 1937 and 1943, it is one of the few ways to enter or leave North Korea. Pedestrians are not allowed to cross, only automobile and rail traffic. About 100 meters downstream is the Yalu River Broken Bridge, constructed between 1909 and 1911. Both bridges were repeatedly bombed by American aircraft during the Korean war in 1950 and 1951. During the war, the bridges were continuously repaired, but after the war only four spans of the 1911 bridge remained on the Chinese side of the river. It was left in this state and given the name Broken Bridge. In 1993 these four remaining spans were opened to the public. Nancy and I walked out to the end of Broken Bridge to view the bomb damage close up.

On the left are two of the last four remaining spans of Broken Bridge. You can then see the four supports where the bridge used to be on the Korean side.

A memorial for peace...

The entrance to Broken Bridge.

Standing on Broken Bridge looking through China-North Korea Friendship Bridge at the buildings of Dandong.

Standing at the "end" of Broken Bridge looking out over North Korea.

This was interesting....

Nancy and I were very intrigued by the ferris wheel in Sinuiju, North Korea. It was in stark contrast to what we were seeing--very run down buildings and desolate landscape. Nancy had an awesome zoom lens on her camera and after downloading the pictures we saw that it is only a facsimile of a ferris wheel...a two dimensional version.