Many old residents in Urumqi are deeply impressed by the history of this "wooden bridge". Li Shengmin, an old man, joined the army in Xinjiang from Nanyang, Henan Province in 1951 and was placed in the military department of the Sixth Army of Laomancheng, Urumqi, Xinjiang. The old man wrote in his memoirs: "Every week, students go to the city for shopping, and the West Bridge is the only way. At that time, the West Bridge was very narrow, the Urumqi River had not been cut off, and there was water everywhere in the West Park. Only one car could drive in the middle of the bridge, and the cars in the east could pass. Pedestrians on the West Bridge generally stepped aside for fear of being hit by cars, and the traffic was very inconvenient."
for uncle ru haozhong, no matter how narrow and crowded the bridge is, there will always be a time to cross it. What he is most afraid of is that it rains and the water rises. When it rains and the water rises, the bridge will be flooded. "The six-stick carriage can't get through. When it rains heavily, the traffic will be broken. People in the east and west of the river will stare at each other across a bridge, but they can't get through. Anything urgent will be delayed."
Uncle Ru recalled that in 1953, the rain flooded and the river surged, which washed away the West Bridge made of logs. Later, a reinforced stone bridge was repaired. The bridge deck was wide enough for four cars, and street lamps were installed on the sidewalk. "That bridge is quite beautiful. The deck is hard and flat. I feel very comfortable walking on it." But in the 197s, the middle of the bridge began to sag and bend, the steel bars were exposed, and the bridge deck was repaired many times. When the cart walked on it, it was obvious that the bridge was shaking.
At that time, the Urumqi River had been cut off, and the government might be afraid of an accident, and specially arranged a person to guard the bridge, so that trucks were not allowed to walk on the bridge, and they could only pass under it.
In April, 1996, the West Bridge was rebuilt for the third time. This time, the newly-built West Bridge is wider and bigger, and four or six cars can walk side by side on the upper and lower streets. Moreover, the bridge is stable, and large trucks only tremble slightly when walking on it.
"I remember clearly that there are 16 light poles on the sidewalk on the west side of the bridge, and each light pole has 1 big ball lights. At night, 16 white ball lights are on together, which makes the West Bridge brightly lit, and you can see if a pin falls on the bridge deck. At night, the bridge is very lively, and many people who live far away come to see it. "
Soon after the new bridge was repaired, five underground passages were built around the bridge for tourists to walk across the bridge, and there were also special personnel on duty in the passages. In 1999, * * and the 5th birthday of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the West Bridge was added with the lighting landscape, lighting, stainless steel railings and metal relief patterns such as sika deer, double sheep and holding grapes. These landscapes are integrated with the sculptures of Hongshan, Lanxiu Garden, People's Park, Qingshan Garden and West Bridge "Drinking Horses on Long Bridge", which has become a landscape in Urumqi.
Since then, the West Bridge has become not only a transportation hub, but also a landscape of the capital. Many foreign tourists who come to Urumqi will leave a photo on the West Bridge. In 22, Li Qiang, 4 years old, started to take photos at the West Bridge with a small wooden board and a digital camera. "Business is not bad, especially in summer, and I can take twenty or thirty photos every day."