Chongqing prepared to build Yangtze River Cableway

Mr. Shi was one of the first graduates working on the project and the designer of the first domestic mono-cable cyclic cargo cableway after the People's Republic of China was established.

In the late 1970s, Mr. Shi came to Chongqing for the preliminary design of Jiangling River Cableway and saw the Yangtze River for the first time. On New Year's Day of 1982, the Jiangling River Cableway was opened, and Chongqing started to prepare to build the Yangtze River Cableway. The project design was from bid invitation.

CINF finally won the bid and Mr. Shi was appointed as the chief designer.

Six Months spent on design drawings

This was the first time for China to build a cableway across the Yangtze River.

Mr. Shi said that the span was 1,166 meters, and could hold 80 passengers and a driver, which was a first in China. The Jialing River’s Cableway had a span of 740 meters by comparison, and held only 46 people.

Mr. Shi has been involved in cableway design for thirty years, but he met the biggest problem of his career in building the Yangtze River Cableway.

To ensure the normal and safe operation of Yangtze River Cableway, Mr. Shi and other designers were very careful and checked their work several times.

The first double-haulage cable and double-towing cableway in China

The project designs of the Yangtze River Cableway are the first in several aspects, in order to solve the design challenges of crossing the Yangtze River.

Mr. Shi said that the Yangtze River Cableway was the biggest one in China at that time, and set records in transportation quantity and operation time.

“One haulage cable and one pulling cable cannot make the cableway work,” so Mr. Shi designed it as double-haulage cable and double-towing cableway. Such design had not been used in any domestic or overseas cableways at that time.

Mr. Shi finally designed the convenient and light double-haulage cable supporting equipment. Except for four cables, all equipment was made in China, and the cableway is the first one designed, made, installed, debugged in China.

Improved design to perfect the cableway

The Yangtze River Cableway is the best of his designs.

On October 24, 1987, Yangtze River Cableway was put into use and Mr. Shi was invited to attend the opening ceremony. Mr. Shi said: “It was very hot. Many passengers experienced the cableway in queue as is the case on holidays now.” At that time, he felt the expectation of Chongqing people on the Yangtze River Cableway.

After that, Mr. Shi visited Chongqing almost every year to learn about the operation of Yangtze River Cableway. Sometimes, he also gave assistance in solving problems.

In a few days, Mr. Shi will come to Chongqing to witness the 30th anniversary of the Yangtze River Cableway.

For the last thirty years, the Yangtze River Cableway has been developing together with Chongqing, carrying passengers, leaving good memories, and becoming one of the famous tourist attractions in China. (Translated by Liu Hongyan, Fathom Language Limited)