homecoming

25 Feb 2009 is an important day for the people of Shanghai. It marks the day that their bridge returns to The Bund - the city's trademark.

外白渡桥 Waibaidu Bridge (aka Garden Bridge) - the 100 year old bridge ／百年老桥 - finally returns to its original spot after a year of tedious repair. If you have been to Shanghai in the past one year, you would not have seen this famous bridge on the spectacular The Bund. The bridge also appeared on countless movies & MTVs including Jay Chou's. Shanghainese and the media crowd at The Bund to document this historical moment. Live telecast on TV too (for the next few days)! It seems accuracy is extremely crucial "returning" this bridge (there can only be a few centimeters of "misplacement" from its original position). The tide also plays an important part as the bridge is on the Suzhou River, connecting to the HuangPu River. To add to that, it has been raining for more than a week now and with temperatures below 10˚C, the team tasked with returning the bridge faces more difficulties. (FYI, "removing" the bridge was easier since it was so old they didnt really have to be that careful with the paint etc. Still, it took 3 years of planning before the bridge was removed.)

The bridge will be "complete" by April when they put up the lights etc. So i guess lots of tourists will crowd around the bridge for pictures again! Such is the usual sight at The Bund - 人山人海. Haha!

From Wikipedia:
Waibaidu Bridge (Chinese: 外白渡桥; pinyin: Wàibáidù Qiáo), called Garden Bridge in English, is a steel bridge on Suzhou Creek in central Shanghai, connecting the Huangpu and Hongkou districts where the Suzhou River flows into the Huang Pu.

The present bridge is a steel truss bridge with two spans. It is 106.7 metres long and spans 52.16 metres. There are currently three north bound lanes with a total width of 11.2 metres, and two pedestrian walkways each with a width of 3.6 metres. It was the first true steel bridge in China and the only surviving example of camelback truss bridge in China.

With its rich history and unique design, the centennial Waibaidu Bridge is one of the symbols of Shanghai and its modern and industrial image, and may be regarded as the city's trademark bridge.

More info here.
Pictures/info taken from here , here and here (English).