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Qiantang River is the biggest in Zhejiang
Province, running from the west to Hangzhou Bay in the east. It serves
as a river hinge, playing an important role in the water-transportation
between the east and the west. It is encircled by a group of economically
booming cities including Shanghai, China's leading industrial and commercial
hub, and Ningbo, one of China's leading port cities. The extraordinary
surging tide of the Qiantang River is a world-renowned natural wonder
caused by the gravitational pull of the stars and planets. The centrifugal
force produced by the rotation of the earth and by the peculiar bottleneck
shape of Hangzhou Bay makes it easy for the tide to come in, but difficult
for it to ebb.
The soaring tide of the Qiantang River is such a marvelous spectacle that
only the Amazon River's surging tide rivals it! Annually, millions of
people from both home and abroad flock there to watch the magnificent
tide on the eighteenth day of the eighth lunar month (also around the
Mid-Autumn Day). When the surging tide comes, the water can rise up to
a height of 30 feet and the noise it generates sounds like thunder, or
thousands of horses running. Various activities will also be held to celebrate
the annual Tide - Watching Festival, according to local custom. In terms
of its history, the custom of watching the bore tide has happened for
more than 2000 years. It first appeared during the first century. Then,
it became popular in the Tang Dynasty (about 7th -13th century). Yangong
town in Haijing 45 km (about 28 miles) from Hangzhou is the best place
to watch the Qiantang Tide. The rushing tide can be dangerous if you are
careless.So it's best to listen to the advice of the local policemen there
whose job it is to ensure your safety and security.
Crossing the river is the Qiantang River Bridge. It is China's first self-designed
and self-built bridge, which took from April 1934 to Sept 1937 to complete.
Qiantang River Bridge is comprised of its main body and the bridge approach,
stretching a distance of 1453 meters (4767 feet). It is also the first
modern double - layer bridge in China. The upper layer of the bridge is
highway and the layer below is railway. Qiantang River Bridge is designed
by the famous Chinese bridge engineer Mao Yisheng, who defied the words
spoken by foreigners that it was impossible to construct a bridge in such
a spot, and who made a great contribution to the Chinese bridge building
industry. Looking out from the Six Harmonies Pagoda, one can get a panoramic
view of the mighty Qiantang River, the majestic Qiantang River Bridge,
and the surrounding landscape.
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