Is taking a boat cheating?

A Yangtze River crossing is essential for reaching Shanghai.   The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 6,418 kilometres (3,988 mi) from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai.

The bridge crossing was not an option for me since it is part of the main freeway system and prohibits bicycles.  When I initially planned the ferry crossing I imagined a river cruise with glittering water and a drink with an umbrella in it.  Instead, I got brown water, a boat loaded with cement trucks, and smoggy air masking my view of the bridge. The 2-3 km ride was over within 15 minutes, According to the boat attendant, 20,000 people cross the river on this ferry a day but he only sees 10-15 bikes daily. 

The first sign I’ve seen pointing the way to Shanghai

I found out where all the street lights in China come from.  At least it seemed like there were enough lights for the entire country on this street 15 km outside of Changzhou.  Every imaginable type of fixture lining both sides of the street for 3 km.

I’ve seen more scaffolding and new tower construction today than any other day so far.  I started noticing the difference after crossing the Yangtze and moving towards the east.

I’m in Changzhou for the night and am a little disappointed that I got here too late to visit the Dinosaur Park. Their brochure describes it as “The paradise of Dinosaur theme park with fashion and crazy factors”.  Maybe I’ll do a ride-by tomorrow to check it out.