Recently, the Zhijiang Yangtze River Bridge, the world’s longest span steel-UHPC composite girder cable-stayed bridge, completed closure, ending centuries of ferry dependence for 100,000 residents on Bailizhou island and boosting local agricultural exports. Yichang, known as the gateway to the Three Gorges, is rapidly developing an integrated transport network encompassing rail, water, road, air and pipelines.

　　On water, Yichang’s river tourism has become a core attraction. During the May Day holiday, cruise ships carried 180,000 passenger trips, with the “Two Dams & One Gorge” and night cruise routes being top draws. The new premium vessel “Yangtze Cruiser · Moon Catcher” has achieved an average occupancy rate of over 94%, ushering in a new era of high-end inland river cruising.

　　In rail, with the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Yangtze River high-speed railway already open, Yichang is building a high-speed rail travel circle enabling 1-hour trips to the Wuhan-Xiangyang-Yichang region, 2 hours to Xi’an-Chongqing, and 4 hours to Beijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou by 2030.

　　Yichang Sanxia International Airport handled a record 3.406 million passengers in 2025, ranking first among non-provincial capital airports in central China.

　　Through coordinated development of all transport modes, Yichang is building itself into a national comprehensive transport hub and a modern gateway city. (Sanxia Daily: Reporter/Jin Zhi, Correspondent/Wang Yinhuan)