Yalu River Broken Bridge

Yalu River Broken Bridge

鸭绿江断桥
The former swing span at the south end of the bridge's surviving portion
Coordinates40°06′54″N 124°23′29″E / 40.1149°N 124.3915°E / 40.1149; 124.3915
CrossesYalu River
LocaleDandong, Liaoning, China
Characteristics
MaterialSteel
Total lengthOriginally 944.2 m (3,098 ft)
Width11 m (36 ft)
History
OpenedOctober 1911
Closed1950–1951
Location
Map

The Yalu River Broken Bridge (simplified Chinese: 鸭绿江断桥; traditional Chinese: 鴨綠江斷橋; pinyin: Yālù Jiāng Duàn Qiáo) is a truncated railway swing bridge converted to a viewing platform and historical site. Constructed in 1911 by the Empire of Japan, it was the first bridge built across the Yalu River and connected the Chinese city of Dandong with the Korean city of Sinuiju, linking Japanese-ruled Korea to the Eurasian rail network. The bridge originally consisted of twelve truss spans supported by stone foundations in the riverbed. During the Korean War, the eight spans over the Korean side of the river were badly damaged by American bombing, and were subsequently dismantled. The bridge was not rebuilt. Instead, the remaining four spans over the Chinese side of the river were converted to a walkway, a viewing platform, and a historical site.