Close on five million viewers tuned in on their smartphones, tablets or desktop computers yesterday to watch 800 Nanjingers participate in a commemorative run to mark the opening of the fifth bridge to traverse the Yangtze River in Nanjing.
Before the end of this month, the Nanjing Jiangxinzhou Yangtze River Bridge will officially open to traffic, heralding a new era of convenience in trans-city transportation. Before that however, vehicular traffic needed to take the proverbial back seat, as the bridge was first put through its paces by 800 runners, out of over 3,000 who had signed up for the privilege via an online lottery.
Due to restrictions on the number of participants, and in order to satisfy the desire of more citizens to witness yesterday’s spectacle, the Yangtze Evening News, together with Ziniu News, had 15 cameras filming the run from every possible angle, for a live broadcast that received an online audience of nearly five million. A 1 minute post-run video can be watched via the QR code below.
Yet there was still a competitive element to the run, and it was Li Shirong, wearing red shorts and just a t-shirt, who crossed the finish line first at 10:33 am to win the Nanjing Jiangxinzhou Yangtze River Bridge Memorial Run.
In addition, it emerged that Li, who just turned 20 this year, also came first in the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge 50th Anniversary Run, prior to the bridge being reopened to traffic after restoration in December 2018.
Li remarked to reporters that he found it to be very meaningful to now run on the Jiangxinzhou Yangtze River Bridge after almost 2 years to the day since his previous victory.
Among the other 799 runners was also a particularly conspicuous red figure struggling forward in a wheelchair. Ye Dashun lost mobility due to spinal cord injury but refused to give up his love for sports. Using the wheelchair instead of his feet, Ye has participated in many marathons in recent years, such as the Nanjing Marathon and the Liuhezhu Town Marathon.
Ye explained that he is one of about 20 people in a reduced-mobility running team who actively participate in marathon events. He said, “On today’s commemorative run, the bridge has a relatively steep slope, which is more difficult for me. But everyone here doesn’t pay much attention to the results; the important thing is the process of participation”.
While bringing happiness to himself during such sport, Ye also hopes that if society as a whole may see those with disabilities in this way, more able-bodied will have greater understanding and tolerance, helping those with disabilities to better integrate into society.
Ye said, ”I hope to encourage more people with disabilities to be brave and to go out of their homes with confidence”.
