What bridge cultures are there in Wuzhen?

most of the ancient bridges in wuzhen are stone bridges, which not only have a long history and rich cultural connotations, but also have various types, beautiful shapes and different styles. There are simple shiping bridges, simple stone arch bridges and exquisite masonry bridges, among which stone arch bridges are the majority. Stone arch bridge originated from the Eastern Han Dynasty, because the main load-bearing components of the arch bridge are curved in shape, so it was also called curved bridge in ancient times. Curved arches are semi-circular, arc-shaped, egg-shaped, horseshoe-shaped and so on. The arches of Wuzhen Stone Arch Bridge are mostly semi-circular and arc-shaped.

On some stone bridges, there are antique pavilions, such as Yudu Bridge on the west side of Zhaoming Academy, which is built to shelter from the sun and rain. On the side of the bridge, there are guardrails for beauties to rest and watch the water scenery. Many bridges have fine patterns carved on the watchposts and balustrades, such as lotus patterns, The six great divisions in the wheel of karma patterns and swastika patterns. These patterns are not only beautiful, but also contain the religious customs of people in ancient towns and their good wishes for good luck and peace. X

Nantang Bridge

is located at the western end of Xizha Street, across Xishi River, running in a north-south direction. It is connected with Bailian Street in the north, the water theater in the south and Renji Bridge across the river. Nantang Bridge is a five-hole slab flat bridge with a total length of 28.2 meters. The bridge is connected with long stones to form a bridge fence. The ears on the north and south sides of the bridge are engraved with patterns such as lotus flowers, swastikas and Taoist Taiji, which symbolizes good luck and good wishes.

the center of the bridge deck is engraved with a pattern of "The six great divisions in the wheel of karma". "Samsara" is a Buddhist term, also known as "samsara of life and death" and "rotation", which means mass.