Claim: A viral video of a multi-lane circular bridge, with the lanes spiraling down towards the center of the shot, allegedly depicts the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai, China.
Fact: The video is not an accurate depiction of the Nanpu Bridge. While the bridge is known for its elevated, circular design, the video creates the impression that the Bridge is far more layered and winding than it in fact is. The viral video appears to be the result of visual manipulation, as the same visuals repeat throughout the frame.
Fact or Fiction?
On 26 September 2021, Facebook user Abrar H shared a video claiming that it shows the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai, China.
The Nanpu Bridge links central Shanghai to the Pudong district.
Soch Fact Check analyzed the video in question closely and observed that the same visuals appear to repeat multiple times throughout the frame. Identical green trucks can be seen moving in sync on the outer lane, as well as in the third and sixth lanes.
Snapshot of the same green truck in the video
The visual of redbud and a yellow car on the second circular lane from the outer edge repeats at least three times. The repeated visuals appear to simply shrink as they move inwards to the center of the frame.
Snapshot of the green and red vehicle from the video
While the original video of the bridge could not be located, a comparison of the viral video with images of the bridge, such as this, confirms that the video is not an accurate depiction.
Virality
Soch Fact Check conducted a CrowdTangle analysis to assess the virality of the post using the search term, “Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai”.
The search term garnered 243,426 interactions across 400 Facebook posts from May 2021 to May 2022. While not all of the results featured the edited video, a significant number did, such as here, here, here, here, and here. These posts also received the most engagement on Facebook.
Conclusion: The nine-second video in question is clearly the result of visual manipulation, as the same visuals repeat throughout the frame. The Nanpu Bridge linking central Shanghai to the Pudong district is not as layered and winding as the viral video suggests, as is confirmed by images of the bridge.