China is home to an incredible city with more than 20,000 bridges, and one of them has turned into its own neighbourhood as houses sit perilously across it.
Chongqing is a municipality in the southwestern region of the country with a population of over 32 million – over three times the population of London.
The sheer number of people who call it home has caused house building to get more creative, with some opting to live atop a bridge.
The village of Linshi has a unique row of quirky and colourful buildings – as well as some that are more drab and run down – built on a bridge. The variation of buildings creates a mix in the neighbourhood of Western styles with more traditional Chinese architecture.
This isn’t the only place in Chongqing that features a unique bridge, as officials have claimed about 60 percent of its residents cross at least two bridges every day on their commute.
China’s bridge capital has 17 world records in bridge construction, including the Chaotianmen Bridge – the largest steel arch bridge, and the Huangjuetuo Bridge – soon to be the world’s greatest dual-use suspension bridge with both road and rail traffic.
The city has made bridges integral to its transport network due to its unique topography, crisscrossed by rivers like the Yangtze, Jialing, and Wujiang.
Chongqing has also made strides in bridge technology, mixing new designs with cultural heritage over the past 20 years.
Lin International (China)’s Chief Designer, Jiang Zhonggui, said: “Innovation in our bridges stems from the unique needs created by our geographic and urban layout. Being a mountainous city requires us to think creatively to meet transportation demands.”
He also highlighted the particular engineering hurdles that Chongqing faces, such as constructing large bridge spans to accommodate the city’s rivers and their variable water levels.
Jiang added: “The complexity of integrating rail, slow traffic, and rapid transit systems across these spans illustrates our unique approach to urban transport infrastructure.”
