The bridges span two great rivers and the four banks on ends (Photographed by Tang Anbing)

The flyover and Dongshuimen Bridge in the Nan'an district (Photographed by Reporter Xie Zhiqiang)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Speaking of Chongqing, many people may think of the obvious signs of Chongqing: beauties, hotpot and mountains. However, in many natives' heart, Chongqing owns another trademark: "a city of bridges".

In 2005, Chongqing was officially recognized as the "city of bridges" in China owning to the characteristics of great numbers, large scale, high-level technology, diversification and great influence at the annual conference of Mao Yisheng bridge committee.

Chongqing's special geographical conditions dictate that the bridges are indispensable for urban transportation. The city, which winds by the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, Wujiang and many other tributaries, needs to link the various regions together by bridges. Therefore, more than ten thousand different-sized bridges are built in Chongqing. There are even 29 bridges distributed in the urban area. The construction density and difficulty are rarely seen in the world.

For Chongqing, the bridges have played witness to the development of the city. The Jialing River Bridge in Niujiaotuo, which was opened in 1966, is the first river-spanning bridge in Chongqing, with a construction time of eight years. Since Chongqing was ranked as a municipality, the bridge construction speed in urban Chongqing has accelerated. A great number of large-scale bridges like Lijiatuo Yangtze Bridge and Shimen Bridge have been put into use. In the urban area today, it's not unusual to build several river-spanning bridges at the same time.