Yangshuo tour- Bridges (Guilin China, Yangshuo China)

Chinese bridges from ancient times, highly varied in material and form, are an important legacy with national characteristics, occupying an important position in the world history of bridge building.

China, a country with such a long history, has inherited from her past bridges without number: there are, it is said, four milion of them if one counts the stone arch bridges alone. In the southern regions of rivers and lakes, the landscape is dotted with bridges of various sized and descriptions, which make it all the more picturesque.

The Stone Arch Bridge
The stone arch bridge is the most common type of bridges one sees in China. According to historical records, the first stone arch bridge named Lurenqiao (Wayfarers' Bridge) was built in A.D. 282 near the ancient Luoyang Palace. That was more than 1,700 years ago. Then, in a Luoyang tomb dating back to the early Zhou Dynasty, archaeologists found the gate to the burial chamber to be of arch structure, showing that the stone arch existed in China already in about 250 B.C. at the latest.

Anji Bridge is the most famous stone arch bridge in China. It spans the Jiaohe River in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province, and is better known as Zhaozhou Bridge after the ancient name of the county. Built during the years 591-599 A.D. by the mason Li Chun, it is still being used as a bridge, so is one of the bridges with the longest service life in the world. It is 9 metres wide and stretches all its 50.82 metres on a single arch spanning 37.4 metres of the river. On each of the "shoulder" of the main arch, there are two spandrel or minor arches. They not only improve the general look of the bridge but help to reduce its weight and thus lighten the load on its foundations. In times of flood water, the minor arches join the main one to facilitate the passage of the current, weakening its impact on the body of the bridge. A masterpiece of bridge construction, this old stone structure has been taken in subsequent ages as the model for stone arch bridges.

On wide rivers and lakes, multiple arch bridges were erected of stone. One of them is Lugouqiao (better known to Westerners as Marco Polo Bridge). Built in 1189-1192 in the southern vicinity of Beijing, it is 265 metres long and lies on 11 arches which range in their span from 16 to 20 metres. The tops of the 280 stone balusters flanking the bridge are carved in the form of squatting lions. It is therefore also called popularly as Shiziqiao (Lions Bridge), making it one of the scenic spots around Beijing.

The bridge with the largest number of stone arches is Baodaiqiao (Treasure Belt Bridge) on the Grand Canal in Suzhou. Winding 317 metres long, it is formed of 53 arches, three of which are higher than the others to allow the passage of boats sailing on the main channel. The floor of the bridge is level and smooth, making it easier for the boat-trackers of the old days to trudge on. It is said that the bridge was built with money realized from a precious belt donated by Wang Zhongshu, Governor of Suzhou in the Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.), hence its name. It has become one of the local sightseeing attractions.

The stone arch bridge is strong and sturdy but capable of being built in a great variety of shapes. It has long been used as a landscaping structure in China. A splendid example is Yudaiqiao (Jade Belt Bridge) in Beijing's Summer Palace. A stone bridge of a single span, it has a high arched back rather like the hump of a camel. Flanked by finely-carved white marble balustrades, it is a picturesque decoration to the lake.

But the typical example of landscape bridges is the Seventeen-arch Bridge in the same palace. Built in 1750, the 150-metre-long bridge has often been compared to a rainbow spanning the lake between the eastern shore and the Nanhu Island. Adorning the stone balustrades on the sides are 554 lively lions exquisitely carved out of marble.

Technical improvements have been made since the founding of New China. In 1966 a single-span stone bridge with minor arches was built at Yixiantian on the Chengdu-Kunming Railways. It is the largest of its kind, being 63.2 metres long, 26 metres high, with the main arch spanning 54 metres. Again in 1971, a stone bridge was constructed at Jiuxigou in Fengdu County, Sichuan Province. Straddling 116 meters on a single span, it is the largest single-arch stone bridge in China up to date.

Stone arch bridges are highly resistant to weathering and can be very beautiful and dignified. Their material is often available locally. For these reasons, they still have a great future even though other bridges are being built with more modem techniques.

Source: China tour, yangshuo tour- Bridges (Guilin China, Yangshuo China)
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