Zhongshan Bridge over the Yellow River.

Zhongshan Bridge, also known as Lanzhou Yellow River Iron Bridge, is an iron bridge located in Chengguan District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, spanning the Yellow River. It is not only a landmark building in Lanzhou, but also the first real bridge on the 5,464-kilometer Yellow River, so it is known as the "First Bridge over the Yellow River". The history of Zhongshan Bridge can be traced back to its construction on May 9, 1908 (the 34th year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty). At that time, the Gansu Foreign Affairs Bureau signed a contract with the German Taeli Foreign Company to introduce foreign technology for construction. After more than a year of construction, it was completed and opened to traffic on August 19, 1909 (the first year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty). Initially, the bridge was named "Lanzhou Yellow River Iron Bridge". Later, in 1928 (the 17th year of the Republic of China), it was renamed "Zhongshan Bridge" in memory of Mr. Sun Yat-sen. Zhongshan Bridge is a four-pier and five-hole iron bridge with a total length of 233.5 meters and a width of 8.36 meters. Each hole has a span of 45.9 meters. Its upper structure is a trapezoidal through-type steel truss. Each span is composed of rectangular and diagonal bracing members. The design is simple and clear, without redundant decoration, reflecting the application of new materials, new structures, new processes, and new technologies in the industrial age of the 20th century in spatial structures. Zhongshan Bridge not only carries traffic on both sides of the Yellow River, but also a business card of Lanzhou city culture. In 2004, Lanzhou City carried out the most thorough and large-scale repair and reinforcement of the Lanzhou Yellow River Iron Bridge, ending its nearly 100-year history of traffic, and became a permanent pedestrian bridge, becoming a landmark building for Lanzhou tourism. In addition, Zhongshan Bridge also has an important military strategic position in history, especially during the Anti-Japanese War. As the only bridge spanning the Yellow River on the two east-west passages of Gansu and Xinjiang, and Xilan, it became a key bridge for logistical support during the Anti-Japanese War. Zhongshan Bridge is not only a traffic structure project, but also reflects the style, genre, and characteristics of the architectural art development history during the Westernization Movement in modern Chinese history. The combination of power and beauty shown in its large-scale structural buildings has high artistic expressiveness, appeal and aesthetic value. Zhongshan Bridge was listed as a municipal cultural relics protection unit in Lanzhou City in 1989 and was announced as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units in 2006. Today's Zhongshan Bridge is a landmark building in Lanzhou City and an important milestone in the history of modern bridge construction in China. It is open all day and free to tourists, making it a popular place for Lanzhou citizens to take a leisurely stroll and tourists to sightsee.