Zhou Yiqiao, who has spent a lifetime working with bridges, regards the Zhuankou Yangtze River Bridge, opened to traffic at the end of last year, as the best news to start the new year.
This latest bridge, with eight lanes in both directions, is the widest bridge over the Yangtze River.
Zhou Yiqiao, 62, was deputy general manager of the overseas company of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group before retirement. He was named after a bridge and has a lifelong bond with bridges.
"My grandfather gave me the name to commemorate the start of construction of China's first Yangtze River bridge," Zhou Yiqiao said.
The Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was built in 1955 and opened to traffic two years later. It is known as "the First Bridge over the Yangtze River." Zhou Yiqiao's father, Zhou Pu, was one of the main designers of the bridge.
At that time, the newly founded People's Republic of China was poor and blank. Even with the assistance of Soviet experts, the specific construction, testing, and implementation were "gradually figured out" by Zhou's father and his colleagues.
After the bridge was completed and opened to traffic, Zhou Yiqiao's family moved with his father to Nanjing to participate in the construction of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.
Influenced by his surroundings, Zhou Yiqiao studied bridge engineering in university and worked at China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group after graduation.
In 1991, he went abroad for the first time to participate in the construction of the Yangon-Thanlyin Bridge in Myanmar. Later, he went to Bangladesh, Tanzania, and other countries to participate in bridge construction.
From the zero start of the Wuhan Bridge to the self-reliance of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, and then to the innovation and creation after the reform and opening up, Zhou Yiqiao witnessed the process of Chinese bridge technology going abroad and to the world.
Currently, Wuhan has nine Yangtze River bridges completed and open to traffic, greatly improving urban traffic conditions. There are 135 bridges across the Yangtze River main stream below Yibin, Sichuan Province.
Mao Weiqi, deputy chief engineer of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, said that from design, construction, steel, beam manufacturing, machinery to supervision, most Yangtze River bridges are "made in China" relying on our own technology.
"From inland rivers to the ocean, from domestic to international, 'Chinese bridges' with different spans and shapes have long been spread across Asia and Africa, becoming bridges connecting Wuhan, China, and the world," he said.
In Bangladesh, China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group is building the nearly 10-kilometer-long Padma Bridge. This bridge will end the history of relying on ferries to cross the river between the southwestern region and the capital, Dhaka, and is called the "Bridge of Dreams" by locals.
For British entrepreneur Simon Haworth, he is also committed to becoming a "bridge" connecting China and the world.
Five years ago, Haworth founded a biotech company in Wuhan. In September 2017, he was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award. This is the highest honor established by China to commend foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization.
"In Wuhan, the pace of construction of new technology industrial parks, airports, bridges, high-speed railways, and highways, and the degree of openness to the world are all eye-opening," Haworth said.
In September 2016, China issued the "Outline of the Development Plan for the Yangtze River Economic Belt." Wuhan, situated at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han rivers, has ushered in new historical development opportunities.
According to the outline, China will rely on the golden waterway, give full play to the core roles of Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chongqing, promote the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, create a new growth pole for China, and build a new corridor for two-way opening up by land and sea and cultivate new advantages for all-round opening up.
Haworth's company has offices in the UK and the US and is introducing more European and American clean technology and agricultural technology companies to Wuhan.
"Many European companies want to use Wuhan as a hub to enter China," he said.
Since the first foreign-funded enterprise was established in Wuhan in 1980, a total of 254 Fortune Global 500 companies have invested in Wuhan.
In addition to scientific and technological innovation cooperation, Haworth also focuses on cross-border cultural exchanges. He has invited Wuhan entrepreneurs, cultural figures, media personnel, and children to visit the UK many times, hoping to enhance understanding between the people of China and the UK through youth exchange programs.
"I think I am also building a bridge, a bridge connecting China and the world through scientific and technological innovation and cultural exchange," he said.