Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge | |
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Chinese name | |
Traditional Chinese: | 中朝友誼橋 |
Simplified Chinese: | 中朝友谊桥 |
Hanyu Pinyin: | Zhōng Cháo Yǒuyíqiáo |
Wade-Giles: | Chung Ch'ao Yuich'iao |
Korean name | |
Hangul: | 중조우의교 |
Hanja: | 中朝友誼橋 |
Revised Romanization: | Jung-jo Uuigyo |
McCune-Reischauer: | Chung-jo Uŭigyo |
The Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge (also called the Sino-Korean or China-Korea Friendship Bridge) connects the cities of Dandong, China and Sinŭiju, North Korea. It crosses the Yalu River, carrying pedestrian, road, and rail traffic. The bridge is one of the few ways to enter or leave North Korea.
A nearby bridge (the "Broken Bridge") was built in 1909, but it was bombed and partially damaged in the Korean War around 1950 and has not been reconstructed. That bridge is now a tourist attraction on the Chinese side, with telescopes available for viewing North Korea.
Trains travel over the Friendship Bridge on a daily basis. The border is relatively porous, as the governments of China and North Korea have fairly good relations. [citation needed] Hangul script is common on many signs in Dandong.
While it is consider one bridge, the contrast between the Chinese and North Korean side are immense. The bridge on the Chinese side is decked with flashing neon lights that light up at night while the North Korean side is left in the dark due to acute fuel shortage in North Korea.