Revisiting the Xiamen Bridge

2018-01-10

 

Li Mei: Xiamen has so many new landmarks these days but I'm in love anew with the Xiamen Bridge and its beautiful and breathtaking views of the island and mainland.

厦门最近有这么多的新地标,但我还是陶醉于厦门大桥和它两岸的如画风景。

 

Adam: That's funny, you grew up here, didn't you? I thought you'd have forgotten the bridge by now.

有意思,你是本地人吧?我还以为你不会在意这座大桥呢。

 

Li Mei: Sometimes you take things for granted and don't really see their beauty.

人们有时习惯于周遭事物,都没有好好感受身边的美景。

 

Adam: Agree. And I do love sea bridges because they connect you to the city in so many ways. You must know something about the Xiamen Bridge but I really don't know its history at all.

同意。我喜欢跨海大桥,因为它们让你很方便地来到市区。我想你肯定对厦门大桥的历史有所了解,不像我一无所知。

 

Li Mei: I do know a bit of its history from a school project I worked on in college.

我确实是略知一二,因为以前上大学时做过关于厦门各大桥梁的调查。

 

Adam: So tell me, what is special about the Xiamen Bridge?

告诉我吧,厦门大桥有什么特别之处?

 

Li Mei: Well, it might amaze you that the only way to get to the island of Xiamen until 1991 was by boat or by crossing a two-lane sea dyke. The Xiamen Bridge changed all that.

嗯,可能你不知道,1991年厦门大桥投入使用之前,进出厦门岛只有两个方法,要么坐船,要么走一条两车道的海堤。但是随着厦门大桥的开通,这一切彻底改变了

 

Adam: I imagine the city's modernization made the bridge a necessity. So, it was the first bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

我能想象是城市的现代化催生了这座桥,所以厦门大桥是第一座连通岛内外的桥了。

 

Li Mei: Yes, but it was also the first over-sea highway bridge in China. It was a pioneer in so many ways, like its use of bridge handrails for illumination instead of traditional light poles. And Chinese engineers made lots of breakthroughs in hydrogeological knowledge.

是的,它也是中国第一座跨海公路大桥。它开辟了许多先河,例如取消桥两边的路灯转而使用栏杆来进行照明,并且在桥梁建设时积累许多水文地质数据。

 

Adam: Interesting. I love the aesthetic nature of the bridge and its views. You can see a green garden on one side and traditional Minnan-style architecture on the other.

真有趣。我觉得大桥很美,尤其是桥两头的景色,一边是铺天盖地的绿色公园,一边是传统的闽南建筑。

 

Li Mei: I live on the Jimei side of the bridge. My favorite view is of the twinkling lights of the city reflected on the inky ocean.

我住在大桥的集美这一边。我最喜欢夜晚来临时,看着黑墨般的海水上方城市的万家灯火。

 

Adam: Let's put aside a day and visit Xiamen's four cross-sea bridges.

下次我们专门用一天时间,逛逛厦门的四座跨海大桥。

 

Li Mei: Great, although our tour will include five bridges when the new bridge to Xiang'an is built.

太好了,不过马上是五座大桥,因为厦门岛还要建一座到翔安的跨海大桥。

By Zhong Xisheng

[ Web editor:Robin Wang, Wu Jianhan    Source:Common Talk ]