Explore Taiwan through its bridges: A tour of the top 10 most distinctive and beautiful bridges across Taiwan in 2015

Article by / Edited and reported by the editorial team of MOOK Travel Life Network

In 2014, the Jin Dai Bridge in Dahu Park briefly topped a global online poll as the most beautiful bridge in the world, unexpectedly becoming a source of pride for Taiwan and also giving us a glimpse into the beauty of bridges scattered around the globe. However, aside from the Jin Dai Bridge, Taiwan has many other uniquely beautiful bridges that combine various lighting designs with local scenery to create astonishing visual combinations. Below is a list of ten distinctive bridges in Taiwan. Let’s explore Taiwan through its bridges in 2015.

● Starlight Bridge

The Starlight Bridge is located in Xizhi District, spanning the Keelung River. Its unique design features a “single inclined tower cable-stayed bridge” structure, with the inclined tower columns and the bridge deck adorned with dot-shaped light sources. At night, the bridge presents an image of twinkling starlight. The 270-meter-long S-shaped bridge deck offers leisure space, and the nighttime light show reflects the theme of “Starlight,” with “Brilliance” and “Purity” as its themes, conveying the conceptual idea of the “Starlight Bridge.”

● Crescent Moon Bridge
The Crescent Moon Bridge is located about 500 meters upstream of the Xin Hai Bridge. It connects Banqiao's 435 Art and Culture District on one end and Xinzhuang Old Street on the other. The bridge is designed as an “asymmetrical double steel tied arch bridge,” with a total length of 750 meters. The two spans are 200 meters and 100 meters respectively, with the two arches standing at 50 meters and 25 meters high—making it the longest double-span steel arch bridge in Taiwan. The bridge features four observation and leisure platforms with different characteristics, and a “Dance of Water” platform over the main river channel includes a transparent bridge deck skywalk to allow visitors to experience the joy of dancing water reflections.

● Bitan Bridge
Located near the Bitan Scenic Area, this bridge is close to Bitan, which gets its name from the deep green waters of the pond. The meandering Xindian River cuts into the riverbanks, forming steep cliffs, hence it is also known as the “Little Red Cliff.” The pond is ideal for boating and is one of the famous scenic spots in northern Taiwan.

● Hou Dong Cat Bridge
Taiwan’s first pedestrian bridge shared by humans and cats, this 60-meter-long bridge has a “cat head” at the park’s Vision Pavilion end, featuring two ears, and a “cat tail” at the cat village end. It is also the only pedestrian bridge in the country that crosses a railway with components of varying lengths and shapes. The bridge consists of twenty-five ring-shaped sections, five hundred square tube components, and seven hundred fifty aluminum-clad steel plates, all with different dimensions. Not only is the shape unique, but inside the bridge there are also cat footprints, photos, and illustrations, along with specially designed platforms for cats to walk and jump on.

● Jin Dai Bridge
The Jin Dai Bridge, which once ranked first in a well-known international website’s poll for the “Bridge in a Fairyland,” connects both ends of Dahu Lake, tightly linking the two sides of the lake like an old-fashioned ribbon. After renovation by the city government, the bridge was refurbished with added railings and LED lights, giving it even more charm at night.