The last beam of China's longest continuous swivel road bridge over a railway was successfully rotated into position in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, in the early hours of Saturday.
The 554-meter-long 60,000-ton bridge includes four continuous beams spanning the railroad below. Three of them had completed rotation before the end of September.
The multi-part bridge is part of a cross-provincial highway linking Chuzhou City in Anhui Province with Zhoukou City in central China's Henan Province. The successful rotation of the last bridge beam will bring the highway one step closer to being fully operational.
The highway is expected to strengthen the connectivity between Hefei and other major eastern and central cities including Nanjing, Hangzhou and Zhengzhou, which is of great significance for Hefei to accelerate its integration into the Yangtze River Delta integrated development.
China's longest continuous swivel road bridge over railway rotated in place
The 2024 International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Cup kicked off on Saturday in Miluo, central China's Hunan Province, drawing teams from 10 countries and regions to showcase their athleticism and teamwork.
It marks the fourth time the event has been held in China.
As one of the highest-profile IDBF competitions, this year's World Cup features five events across two categories: a 12-person 400-meter relay, a 1,000-meter pursuit, and 22-person mixed races in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 500-meter sprints.
The Chinese Dragon Boat Association has sent two teams comprising elite athletes selected from this year's China Longzhou (Dragon Boat) Tournament.
In the 200-meter mixed sprint held on Saturday morning, Indonesia narrowly defeated China's Team One to secure the first gold medal of the event. Later in the day, China's Team One triumphed over teams of Indonesia and Canada to win the championship in the 100-meter mixed race.
"This competition shows that Indonesia's level is truly impressive. Although it's a pity that we lost by a narrow margin, we will work even harder in the upcoming events to achieve excellent results," Feng Guojing, coach of China's Team One.
On Sunday, the World Cup will feature the final three championship races, including the 12-person 400-meter relay, the 1000-meter pursuit, and the 22-person 500-meter sprint.
Originated from China more than 2,500 years ago, dragon boating has evolved into a fast, fun and thrilling team-based paddling sport across the world.
In China, the traditional Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, who tragically drowned himself in the Miluo River. As such, Miluo is regarded as the birthplace of dragon boating, with Qu Yuan's legacy deeply honored.
2024 International Dragon Boat Federation World Cup opens in Hunan
