Langqiao culture
Speaking of covered bridges, people often think of the American movie The Bridges of Madison County and the famous covered bridge "Pig Back Bridge" in the movie. Indeed, this film calls for people's attention and love for the "covered bridge", a bridge architectural art. Since ancient times, "covered bridge" has a very long history and wide application in the history of architecture and landscape design at home and abroad. Especially in China, it has a history of about 2,000 years, and the "covered bridge" was recorded as early as the Han Dynasty. Zhejiang Taishun, also known as the "hometown of covered bridges", has more than 200 ancient covered bridges. Taishun is a mountainous county in the south of Zhejiang Province. In history, many celebrities and wise men moved to Taishun, a mountainous and inaccessible "Xanadu", in order to avoid disasters and chaos, and created local civilization with mountain and rural characteristics, leaving extremely precious historical and cultural heritage. Taishun covered bridge is one of the most outstanding representatives.
I. Overview of Taishun Covered Bridge
There are a large number of civil bridges in Taishun with various structural types. According to Taishun traffic records, by the end of 1987, there were 958 bridges in the county, with a total length of 16829 linear meters, of which 476 bridges were built before liberation, with a total length of 7923 linear meters. There were more than 30 covered bridges in Ming and Qing Dynasties, including covered bridges, Mu Ping covered bridges and Shigong covered bridges. Among them, there are six covered bridges that occupy an important position in the history of bridges in the world, namely Sixi Sisters Bridge, Sankui Xuezhai Bridge, Xianju Bridge, Shinohara Wenxing Bridge and Santiao Bridge.
Wooden arch bridge, the wood is very short, criss-crossing, like a rainbow flying over the wide water. Its ingenious structure is amazing! In the 1970s, a famous bridge expert, Mr. Mao Yisheng, organized scientists to conduct on-the-spot investigation and comparative study on the stoplog arch bridge in southern Zhejiang, and determined that a large number of stoplog arch bridges remaining in the mountainous areas of southern Zhejiang were Hongqiao structures prevailing in the Central Plains during the Northern Song Dynasty. In the book "Technical History of Ancient Bridges in China" edited by Mao Yisheng, four Taishun wooden arch bridges are recorded. Taishun Covered Bridge is famous all over the world, because its structure is very similar to the Hongqiao in the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival painted by Zhang Zeduan in the Northern Song Dynasty. Because it forms an arch bridge with beams and wood interspersed with different pressures, it looks like a rainbow and is named Hongqiao. It occupies a high position in the history of Chinese bridges, and is called the four ancient bridges in China together with Anji Bridge in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province, Wan 'an Bridge in Quanzhou and Guangji Bridge in Haiyang, Chaozhou. Three of the bridges are still preserved in the world, while the Bianshui Hongqiao is only in the painting. Now, Taishun has discovered a covered bridge similar to Hongqiao structure, which has attracted worldwide attention.
Second, Taishun covered bridge representative
1, North Building Bridge
Beijian Bridge, a stoplog arcade bridge, is located in Xiaqiao Village, sixi town. It was founded in the 13th year of Kangxi (1674), in the 8th year of Jiaqing (1803) and rebuilt in the 29th year of Daoguang (1849). The bridge is 51.7m long, 5.37m wide and 29m clear span. Beijian Bridge spans Beixi River, with reasonable overall structure and magnificent momentum. The bridge house is covered with gray tiles and red bodies, with eaves and walls, surrounded by ancient trees, and the two rivers meet under the bridge. Castle peak, clear water, Hongqiao and ancient trees complement each other to form a charming landscape painting.
There are many commercial shops at the bridgehead of Beijian River, which are the business places of villagers. There used to be a stage on the east side of the bridge. According to local customs and habits, at the beginning of the year, villagers will make a wish at Linshuitang and Chendaweng Palace, praying for the gods to bless the bumper harvest and family reunion. Make a wish at the end of the year, and carry the statues of Chen XIV and Chen Dawang to the stage of Beijianqiao to watch the play. This activity lasted for four days.
The north bridge with beam structure is full of momentum, and the bridge building is also an important part carefully built by the craftsmen of the covered bridge. Building a gallery on the arch increases the pressure on the bridge arch and makes it more stable. It also plays a role in preventing wind and rain. At the same time, the artistic treatment of various parts of the bridge house, such as the diversification of eaves and roof decoration, has increased the overall aesthetic effect of the bridge.
2. Dong Xi Bridge
Dongxi Bridge, a stoplog arcade bridge, is located in Xiaqiao Village, sixi town. It was founded in the fourth year of Ming Dynasty (1570) and located in Qin Long. Ten years of Qing dynasty (1745). Daoguang was rebuilt in the seventh year (1827). The bridge is 41.7m long, 4.86m wide and 25.7m clear span. Dong Xiqiao, who is in the feng shui mode of "general teasing lion", said that "the rainbow is full of gas and the shadow shakes the moon". There are 15 galleries on the arch of the bridge, and several of them are pavilions. The eaves are flying with wings, and the roof is surrounded by green dragons, which is quite smoky.
Dong Xi Bridge is about a mile from Beijian Bridge, so it is named because it crosses Dongxi. On the other side of the bridge is a distant mountain, and there are two higher peaks nearby, one is Lion Peak and the other is General Peak. According to the local people, the bridge and its surroundings are in the geomantic mode of "general teasing lion". Against this distant mountain, the Dong Xi Bridge looks more beautiful and light.
3. Three Bridges
Three bridges are located on the stream at the junction of Zhou Ling Township and Yangxi Township. Named after the original three giant trees crossed the river as a bridge, it was built on September 13th in the 7th year of Shaoxing in Song Dynasty (1 137) and rebuilt in the 23rd year of Qing Daoguang (1843). This is a wooden covered bridge with stoplogs and arches. It is 26.63 meters long and 4 meters wide, which is 10 meters above the water level. In the Ming Dynasty, there were 65,438+065,438+0 bridge houses with five columns and five beams, with arch-shaped support for the stigma and petal heads of butterfly lotus. This bridge originated earlier. According to Taishun's Record of Dividing Xinjiang, the old tile of "Zhenguan" in Tang Dynasty was discovered during the construction of Daoguang Room, and it is the earliest bridge recorded in the county literature. This bridge is exquisite and beautiful with a long history. It was included in "China Ancient Scientific and Technological Achievements" and publicized as a series of hundreds of patriotic education books, showing the intelligence and wisdom of the working people in our county and the brilliant achievements in the construction of ancient bridges. 1982 was listed as the first batch of cultural relics protection units in Taishun County.
4. Xuezhai Bridge
Xuezhai Bridge in Sankui Town, located in Xuenei Village in Sankui Town, was built in Xianfeng for six years (1856). It is a stoplog arch-wood covered bridge with a total length of 5 1 m, a width of 5. 1 m, a single span of 29 m, a water height of 10.5 m, a bridge head slope of 30 m and fifteen bridge houses. 1986 Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau allocated funds, and the masses raised funds for reconstruction. 1988 was listed as the third batch of cultural relics protection units in Taishun County.
5. Yongqing Bridge
Yongqing Bridge in Xiaxiping Village, Zhanzhou, Sankui Town was built in the second year of Qing Jiaqing (1797), with a total length of 33 meters, a width of 4.5 meters and a height of 8 meters above the water. It is a cantilever beam type wooden covered bridge, with blue stone piers, two layers of cantilever beams intersecting at right angles at the top and sidewalk boards on the surface. There are 12 covered rooms with two floors. 1994 was listed as the fourth batch of cultural relics protection units in Taishun County.