Until the 1990s there was no bridge across the Huangpu between the city and Pudong, and crossing meant a ferry. The economic opening of Pudong changed that in a decade: Nanpu Bridge opened in 1991, Yangpu Bridge in 1993, and the Lupu Bridge, an arch span, followed in 2003. Together with the Xupu and Minpu bridges further out, they turned the river from a barrier into a seam, and they are now the most legible pieces of engineering in the city.
What to look at
Nanpu Bridge carries a spiral approach ramp on the Puxi side that coils down to street level, and its cable-stayed deck was the first of its kind on this stretch of the river. Yangpu Bridge, further downstream, is larger, with a main span of over six hundred metres and a pair of tall towers that have become part of the northern skyline. Lupu Bridge is the one to see if you are interested in structures: a single steel arch springing from both banks, with a span of five hundred and fifty metres, which made it the longest arch bridge in the world when it opened and still the second longest. Its deck carries pedestrians and cyclists as well as traffic, which means you can walk across it.
Crossing them
Walking the Lupu Bridge is the practical way to experience the river from above; the crossing takes about twenty minutes on foot and gives a long view down the water towards the Bund and Lujiazui. The other bridges carry vehicles only, so to cross them you need a taxi, a bus or a ride-hailing car. A drive across Yangpu or Nanpu at night, with the towers lit and the skyline on both sides, is worth the fare and takes only a few minutes.
Practical notes
Bridge traffic is heavy through the working day and worst between half past seven and nine in the morning and half past five and seven in the evening, when the whole city crosses the river in one direction. The pedestrian access to Lupu Bridge is at the Puxi end and is signposted from the riverside park; it is a long walk and there is no shade, so go early or late. The best photographic light on the bridges is in the twenty minutes after sunset, when the sky is still blue and the lights are already on.
