In winter, a dense fog often settles over a stretch of the Yangtze River near Bailizhou, an island town administered by Zhijiang in Hubei province. For travelers returning home for the Chinese New Year, the journey does not truly begin until the sun burns through the mist, a ferry emerges from the gray expanse, and the far bank and home come into view.
Captain Yan Zhirong stands in the wheelhouse of the E Zhijiang Ferry 0055, watching villagers hurry aboard with rolling suitcases and bundles of New Year goods.
"There are more people coming back this year," he says.
A native of the island, Yan, 55, has spent more than three decades piloting ferries between downtown Zhijiang and Bailizhou. His work starts at 7 am and finishes around 6 pm, with a crossing every half hour — as many as 17 or 18 round trips a day.
Surrounded on all sides by water, Bailizhou is the largest river island in the middle reaches of the Yangtze and the only town in Hubei province without a road to the outside world.
Often described as a "lonely island", it relies on six ferry routes and 17 vessels to move people and goods. Some ferries carry vehicles; others, like Yan's, transport mostly passengers, motorcycles and electric scooters.
For centuries, boats have been an inseparable part of residents' lives, but that history is now nearing an end.
In 2020, the Zhijiang Bailizhou Yangtze River Bridge was included in the national development plan. Construction officially began in 2022, and tower construction started in 2024. According to the schedule, the two sections of the bridge will be joined in April and open to traffic at the end of the year.
This Chinese New Year, which fell on Feb 17, many migrant workers returning from far-flung cities may have boarded the ferry home for the last time.
From the deck of Yan's boat, passengers can already see the bridge's northern and southern spans inching toward each other.
Li Ming, who works in Dongguan, Guangdong province, holds up her phone to record the progress.
"Watching this bridge being built makes me very emotional," she says.
Even from hundreds of miles away, she constantly asks her family for updates on the construction. Next year, she plans to drive home across the bridge.
The ferry is more than transportation for Li, it is a vessel of memories. During her student years in Zhijiang, she rode it home once a month.
"This boat was the only way back," she says. "It carries all my memories of growing up."
Across the river, Zhijiang's urban core offers stronger economic prospects and more concentrated educational and medical resources. Many Bailizhou residents commute there for work, school or hospital visits.
