The timing and purpose were perhaps not the most fortunate. Opened in time for the 2014 Youth Olympics, named the Nanjing Eye and hot on the heels of the London Eye opening for the 2012 Olympics, comparisons and criticisms were sure to be drawn.
Why copy the name? In fact, it’s pure coincidence, but one that nevertheless conveniently capitalised on the fame of its UK-based, very distant cousin. The “Eye” of course refers to the cable-stayed bridge’s two supporting towers, they being oval and eye shaped.
As the first sightseeing pedestrian bridge on the Yangtze River, the Nanjing Eye links the Nanjing International Youth Culture Center (NIYCC) and Jiangxin Zhou Youth Olympic Forest Park.
But the Nanjing icon was originally destined to be very different, very big in fact. The design is based on Zaha Hadid’s original proposal for the project (she was also responsible for the adjacent “spaceship”, otherwise known as NIYCC). Her single-arch design was to be 150 metres high and feature a three-story observation platform at its top.
But frugality was a watchword for Nanjing’s Youth Olympic Games. Therefore, things got toned down and the bridge’s two eyes now instead rise vertically just 82.5 metres. And that observation platform? Cancelled.
From an architectural perspective, the Nanjing Eye takes its cue from the ancient stone-arch bridges typical of China’s Jiangnan area. From afar, the eyes appear as white-jade belts tied to the River, while the bridge’s steel cables seem to flutter upward, like the strings of a harp.
Special mention is also reserved for the bridge’s lighting system and guard rails.
The Nanjing Eye has three different modes of lighting; weekday mode, holiday mode and special celebration mode. As for the guardrails, in the people-oriented, equal and fraternal spirit of the Youth Olympics, there is an upper guardrail, described as being for “ordinary adults”, and a lower guardrail, intended for use by children or those in wheelchairs.
Construction of the Nanjing Eye pedestrian bridge got underway on 15 January, 2013. With typical China efficiency in the large public works department, upon its completion, the 827-metre-long pedestrian bridge was put into use on 16 August, 2014, the very same day as the opening of the Youth Olympics.
