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Origin and development
Before man-made bridges, many natural bridges were formed in nature due to the influence of crustal movement or other natural phenomena. bridge form. For example, the stone beam bridge across the waterfall in Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang Province, the stone arch bridge (Xianren Bridge) formed by natural erosion in Guixi, Jiangxi Province, and the "single-plank bridge" formed by naturally fallen tree trunks by the river, or the vines entangled on both sides of the river. The natural "suspension bridge" formed together and so on. Human beings get inspiration from these natural bridges and continue to imitate nature in the process of survival. At the beginning, some single-plank bridges were probably built on small rivers or trenches around clan settlements (the reason why bridges were originally called "beams" may be because of such beams), or on narrow bridges. In shallow streams, stones are used to cushion the stone pedals that are slightly above the water one after another, forming a simple "jumping pier" stone beam bridge (this original bridge style is often imitated in the back garden, and is called "Tingbu Bridge"). , "Step Bridge"). These "single-plank bridges" and "jumping bridges" are the most primitive bridges built by humans. Later, with the development of social productivity, they continued to evolve from low-level to high-level, and various span-span bridges gradually emerged. my country's bridges have roughly gone through four stages of development. The first stage is dominated by the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, including the previous historical eras. This is the founding period of ancient bridges. At this time, in addition to the original single-plank bridge and Tingbu bridge, there were mainly two forms of bridges: beam bridge and pontoon bridge. At that time, due to the backward productivity level, most of them could only be built in areas where the terrain was flat, the river was not wide, and the water flow was gentle. The bridges could only be small wooden beam bridges, and technical problems were easier to solve. On rivers with wider water surfaces and faster currents, pontoons are often used. The second stage is mainly Qin and Han, including the Warring States and the Three Kingdoms, and is the creation and development period of ancient bridges. The Qin and Han Dynasties were a dazzling development stage in the history of Chinese architecture. At this time, not only bricks, an artificial building material, were invented, but also arch structures with masonry structural systems as the theme were created, thus creating prerequisites for the emergence of arch bridges later. The emergence of iron tools during the Warring States Period also promoted the multi-faceted use of stone in construction, so that new components such as stone pillars, stone beams, and stone bridge decks were added to the bridge on the basis of the original wooden beam bridge. Not only that, its great significance lies in the fact that the stone arch bridge came into being. The creation of the stone arch bridge played an epoch-making role in the history of ancient Chinese bridge construction in terms of practicality, economy, and aesthetics. The great development of stone beam and stone arch bridges not only reduces maintenance costs and extends the service life of the bridge, but also improves the scientific level of structural theory and construction technology. Therefore, the use of building stones and the emergence of arch technology in the Qin and Han Dynasties was actually a major revolution in the history of bridge construction. Therefore, judging from some literature and archaeological data, around the Eastern Han Dynasty, the four basic bridge types of beam bridge, pontoon bridge, cable bridge and arch bridge had all been formed. The third stage was dominated by the Tang and Song Dynasties, supplemented by the Jin Dynasty, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui Dynasty, and the Five Dynasties. This was the heyday of the development of ancient bridges. The national power of the Sui and Tang Dynasties was stronger than that of the Qin and Han dynasties. The Tang and Song dynasties achieved stability and unity for a long time. Industry and commerce, transportation and science and technology were very developed, making it the most advanced country in the world at that time. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, due to the migration of a large number of Han noble officials to the south, the economic center moved from the Yellow River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin, which led to great economic development in the southeastern water network area. The great economic and technological development in turn stimulated the great development of bridges. Therefore, many world-famous bridges were created at this time, such as the open-shoulder stone arch bridge-Zhaozhou Bridge pioneered by stonemason Li Chun in the Sui Dynasty, the stacked-beam wooden arch bridge-Hongqiao invented by Feizi in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the raft-shaped foundation created by Memorizing , the Wan'an Bridge in Quanzhou with oyster-planted piers, the Xiangzi Bridge in Chaozhou, Guangdong, which combines the stone beam bridge of the Southern Song Dynasty with a retractable floating bridge. These bridges enjoy a high reputation in the history of bridges in the world, especially the Zhaozhou Bridge. Similar bridges appeared seven centuries later in other countries in the world. Throughout the history of bridges in China, almost all major inventions and achievements, as well as bridges that can compete with the world's number one, were created at this time.
The fourth stage was the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. This was the saturated period of bridge development, with almost no major creations and technological breakthroughs. The main achievement at this time was the repair and transformation of some ancient bridges, and many construction instructions for bridge construction were left behind, providing a large amount of written materials for future generations. In addition, some arduous projects such as the Wannian Bridge in Nancheng, Jiangxi Province and the Panjiang Bridge in Guizhou during the Ming Dynasty were also completed. At the same time, many cable bridges have been built in the Sichuan and Yunnan regions, and cable bridge construction technology has also improved. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, that is, in 1881, with the opening of my country's first railway, another technological revolution in the history of my country's bridges ushered in.
Types and forms
According to the main materials, it can be divided into wood, stone, brick, bamboo, rattan, iron, salt, ice and paper bridge. Single-plank bridge is the earliest form of bridge. It was built before the Qin and Han Dynasties in my country. Bridges are almost always wooden bridges. Such as the earliest single-plank bridges and wooden pillar-beam bridges. Floating bridges appeared around the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and column-arranged wooden beam bridges and outrigger-type wooden beam bridges appeared around the Warring States period. However, due to the characteristics of wood itself, such as pine, which is perishable and is subject to the strength and length of the material, it is not only difficult to build bridges on wide rivers, but also difficult to build strong and durable bridges. Therefore, the Northern and Southern Dynasties began to Replaced by mixed wood and stone or stone bridges. Stone bridge and brick bridge. Generally refers to a bridge whose deck structure is made of stone or bricks. Bridges made of pure bricks are extremely rare. They are usually constructed of a mixture of bricks, wood or masonry, while stone bridges are more common. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, stone pier and wooden beam span-type bridges appeared. In the Western Han Dynasty, they further developed into stone pillar-type stone beam bridges. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, single-span stone arch bridges appeared. In the Sui Dynasty, the world's first open-shoulder single-span bridge was created. Hole curved stone arch bridge, Li Zhaode built a boat-shaped pier porous stone beam bridge in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was a period of vigorous development of large-scale stone bridges, creating stone beam bridges spanning several miles across the intersection of rivers and seas, such as Quanzhou's Luoyang Bridge and Ping'an Bridge, as well as large-scale stone bridges such as Beijing's Lugou Bridge and Suzhou's Baodai Bridge. arch bridge. Bamboo bridge and rattan bridge. Mainly found in the south, especially in the southwest. Generally it is only used on narrow rivers or as temporary crossings. In the early days, it was mainly a kind of cable bridge. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the bamboo zipline bridge was called "Zuo Bridge". Later, bamboo cable bridges, bamboo pontoon bridges and bamboo plank bridges appeared. Iron bridges, in ancient times, included iron cable bridges and iron pillar bridges. The former belongs to the cable bridge type, which is more common, and appeared around the Tang Dynasty; the latter belongs to the beam bridge type, and is actually a hybrid bridge of wood and iron, which is very rare, with one example seen in Jiangxi. Salt bridge and ice bridge. Mainly found in special natural environments. The former is mainly found in the Qinghai Salt Lake area, and the latter is mainly found in the cold northern areas. Paper bridges appear in some toys. According to structure and appearance, it is divided into four basic types: beam bridge, pontoon bridge, cable bridge and arch bridge. beam bridge. Also known as flat bridge and empty span bridge, it is a bridge with piers as horizontal distance supports, and then the beams are erected and the bridge deck is flat. This is the most commonly used type of bridge, and it appeared earlier than other bridge types in history. It comes in the form of wood, stone or a mixture of wood and stone. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, beam bridges all used wooden pillars as piers. However, this wooden pillar and wooden beam structure showed its weaknesses very early and could not adapt to the development of the situation. Therefore, they were replaced by stone pillars and wooden beam bridges, such as the multi-span long bridges built in the Qin and Han Dynasties: Wei Bridge, Ba Bridge, etc. Around the time of the Han Dynasty, pile foundation technology was invented, and stone bridge piers appeared, indicating that bridges composed of wood and stone could span wider rivers and withstand the impact of raging floods. However, because the wooden beams on the stone piers were not resistant to wind and rain erosion, bridge houses were built on the bridge to protect the bridge body. This bridge type (covered bridge) was later more common in the south, but it was first seen in the Yellow River Basin. Small and medium-sized stone beams or stone slab bridges are convenient in structure, durable in materials, and labor-saving in maintenance. They are the most popular bridge shape among the people. Especially after the Southern Song Dynasty, they became very popular in Quanzhou, Fujian, and many long stone beams were created. bridge. If a beam bridge has no piers in the middle, it is called a single-span beam bridge; if there is a pier in the water so that the bridge body forms two holes, it is called a double-span beam bridge; if there are more than two piers, it is called a multi-span beam bridge. pontoon. Also known as pontoon bridge, floating boat, or floating truss, it is also called "war bridge" because it is easy to erect and is often used for military purposes. Bridges on the water) are linked together on the water, and the boats are covered with planks for people and horses to pass.
There was no bridge here before, making it very inconvenient for pedestrians. There was a local old man surnamed Zhou who hated private gambling very much. He invited more than 10 knowledgeable people to surround the casino, catch the gamblers, confiscate their financial bets, and burn their belongings. The bridge was built with the confiscated gambling money. Now it has been destroyed.
Edit the best bridges in this section
The oldest existing open-shoulder stone arch bridge is the Zhaozhou Bridge (or Anji Bridge) in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province. Zhaozhou Bridge was built from the 15th year of the founding of the Sui Dynasty to the first year of Daye (595-605). The earliest extant double-arch stone bridge with the most bridge openings is the Baodai Bridge in Suzhou, Jiangsu. It was built in the 11th year of Tang Yuanhe (816). The earliest extant cross bridge is Yunzhu Feiliang in Jinci Temple in Shanxi Province, which was built in the first year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1102). The earliest switchable large stone bridge is Guangji Bridge in Chaozhou, Guangzhou. It was built in the 10th year of Xuande in Ming Dynasty (1435). The only Wuting Bridge is located in Slender West Lake, Yangzhou, Jiangsu. The earliest stone arch bridge in Chinese history is the "Traveler Bridge" built in 282 AD. The Qiantang River Bridge has a highest pier of 306 meters, the highest in the world. China's Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest cross-sea bridge at 36 kilometers, ranking the highest in the world. head. The earliest bamboo cable bridge dates back to the time of King Xiao of Qin in my country (250 BC), who created the world's first porous continuous bamboo cable bridge. The earliest pontoon bridge In 135 BC, King Wen of Zhou Dynasty of my country built the world's first pontoon bridge on the Wei River to welcome his bride. The earliest chain bridge was built by Fan Kuai in Liukan, Hanzhong, in 206 BC during the Western Han Dynasty.
Top Ten Famous Bridges
1. Wuting Bridge: Located in Slender West Lake, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, the bridge base is made of 12 large bluestones, and the bridge body is arched. It is composed of three different kinds of circles, with 15 holes in total, and the holes are connected. There are five pavilions on the bridge, and the pavilions are connected by corridors. 2. Luding Bridge: Located on the Dadu River in the west of Luding County, Sichuan Province, it is composed of 9 iron chains and wooden boards. Two iron chains are installed on the left and right sides as handrails. The iron chains are as thick as the mouth of a bowl, and each one is as long as It is about 150 meters and weighs about one ton. 3. Jade Belt Bridge: This bridge is located in the Summer Palace in Beijing. The entire bridge is made of white marble. The arch is egg-shaped, with exquisitely carved railings and pillars on both sides. The whole bridge is white and has smooth lines. From a distance, it looks like a jade belt dotted on the sparkling blue Kunming Lake. It is praised by tourists as the "Fairy Island on the Sea". 4. Fengyu Bridge: Located on the Linxi River beside Chengyang Village in Sanjiang County, Guangxi, the entire bridge is made of stone piers with wooden surfaces and tile roofs. There are five pagoda-shaped pavilions built on the bridge to provide shelter from wind and rain. There is no iron nail in the entire bridge, and it is all connected by trusses. It is diagonally pierced and criss-crossed, making it very delicate and strong. 5. Anping Bridge: Located in Anhai Town, Jinjiang County, Fujian Province, it was built in the Song Dynasty and is commonly known as "Wuli Bridge" by locals. The bridge deck is paved with seven large stone slabs, and there is a pagoda made of five-story hexagonal bricks at the bridge head. This bridge is the beam-type stone bridge with the largest span in ancient times, and is known as "There is no such long bridge in the world". 6. Zhaozhou Bridge: Located on the Nanji River in Zhao County, Hebei Province, it is a hollow single-hole arc stone arch bridge with a bridge deck of 10 meters wide and 42 bridge railings on both sides. There are exquisitely carved reliefs of dragons and beasts. 7. Guangji Bridge: Commonly known as Xiangzi Bridge, it is located outside the east gate of Chaozhou, Guangdong Province. It is a comprehensive bridge integrating transportation and bazaar in ancient my country. It is also the first movable stone bridge in the world that can be opened and closed. It has been known as " It is known as "one mile long bridge and one mile city". 8. Marco Polo Bridge: Located about 10 kilometers southwest of Guang'anmen in Beijing, the bridge was named Marco Polo Bridge because it spans the Marco Polo River (today's Yongding River). The entire bridge is built of white stone, with 140 carved stone columns on both sides, and 485 stone lions in various crouching shapes carved on the stone pillar heads. 9. Cross Bridge (Shanxi Jinci Uumuma Feiliang): Located in Jinci, about 15 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. The bridge is cross-shaped and built on the fish pond, also known as the fish pond flying beam. The whole bridge is supported by 34 iron-green octagonal stones standing in the swamp. The top of the column is connected with the vertical and horizontal beams by cypress brackets. It is paved with a cross bridge deck and has white marble railings on both sides. 10. Wuyin Bridge: Located on the Shinto of Emperor Xiaoling of Shunzhi in Dongling, Hebei Province, this bridge is equipped with 126 calcite railings on both sides. When struck, it can produce pleasant music of tinkling, tinkling, tinkling, including the palace, Shang, and Shang Dynasty vocal music in ancient my country. The five notes are Jiao, Zheng and Yu, so this is called the "Five-note Bridge".
The highest bridge