Site of the First Yellow River Railway Bridge

Site of the First Yellow River Railway Bridge

The Site of the First Yellow River Railway Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The First Yellow River Railway Bridge is located in Huangheqiao Village, Guxing Town, Huiji District, Zhengzhou City, within the Yellow River Scenic Area. It was designed and constructed by Belgians and is under the management of the Zhengzhou Railway Bureau. The bridge was built in September 1903 (the 29th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty) and opened to traffic in April 1906. It was China’s first steel-structured railway bridge spanning the Yellow River from north to south, with a total length of 3,015 meters crossing both banks of the river and featuring 102 spans (98 deck plate girder spans and 3 deck steel plate girder spans), originally designed to carry E–35 class loads. In 1926, 1927, 1938, and 1944, the bridge was damaged multiple times by warlords. After the liberation of Zhengzhou in 1948, the bridge was reinforced and Soviet-style girders were installed. From December 1949 to July 1952, the bridge underwent five more reinforcement projects, increasing its transport capacity by 36 times compared to 1948. On October 31, 1952, Chairman Mao Zedong inspected the bridge. In July 1958, the bridge was broken by flooding, after which the new Beijing-Guangzhou Railway Yellow River Bridge was built, and this bridge was kept as a standby. In July 1987, to prevent the old bridge from obstructing water flow and to aid flood control, the upper steel girders of the old bridge were dismantled, leaving the southern end with 5 spans totaling 160 meters, which were preserved as a monument for visiting and are currently well maintained.

The Zhengzhou Yellow River First Railway Bridge, one of China’s earlier Yellow River railway bridges, served for 84 years from its opening to becoming a historical relic, making an outstanding contribution to China’s economic development and possessing significant scientific and historical value.

Seventh Batch of Key Cultural Relic Protection Units in Henan Province

Source: Zhengzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics

Huangheqiao Village: Huangheqiao Village…… More information about Huangheqiao Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Key Cultural Relic Protection Units in Henan Province