How to write the introduction of Zhaozhou Bridge?

Tourist friends:

Hello everyone! Welcome to Zhao County and visit the world-famous Zhaozhou Bridge (the tour guide introduces himself). I am very happy to serve as a tour guide for you and wish you a happy journey! The place we are now is Zhaozhou Bridge Park, which is built with Zhaozhou Bridge as the center. This is the main entrance of the park. The horizontal plaque on the lintel of the door "Looking at the Strange and Admiring the Strange" was written by Kong Xingxun, the governor of Zhaozhou during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The inscription on this plaque has been included in the book "Chinese Famous Plaques". After everyone has visited it, will they feel the same way and agree that Zhaozhou Bridge is indeed a great and strange landscape? Look at the front of the screen wall in front of you, and select the article "Chinese Stone Arch Bridge" written by Mr. Mao Yisheng, the late famous contemporary bridge expert in my country. This article by Mao Lao was first published in the "People's Daily" on March 4, 1962. The original article is relatively long. The following excerpt mainly summarizes the situation of Zhaozhou Bridge. Mao Lao said in the article, "There are stone arch bridges almost everywhere in our country. These bridges come in different sizes and forms, and many of them are amazing masterpieces. The most famous one is the Zhaozhou Bridge in Zhao County, Hebei Province" (selected article) The third volume of the junior high school Chinese textbook published since the author). Mao Lao analyzed several characteristics of Zhaozhou Bridge in very scientific and accurate language, and elaborated on the scientific value, historical value, artistic value of Zhaozhou Bridge as well as its outstanding contribution and important position in the history of world bridge architecture. These will be explained in detail to you next.

Please follow me to admire the white marble reliefs on the back of the screen wall. Zhaozhou Bridge was built in the Sui Dynasty and has a long history of 1,400 years. It is the oldest example of a stone arch bridge in the world. During these more than a thousand years, many myths and legends about Zhaozhou Bridge have been circulated. The most representative one is the touching story described below: According to legend, the Zhaozhou Bridge was built by Lu Ban in one night. It was really the bridge that was built overnight, which shocked the world. Even the gods in the fairyland are famous. Zhang Guolao rode a donkey and Lord Chai pushed a wheelbarrow. They wanted to test the carrying capacity of the Zhaozhou Bridge. When they walked to the center of the bridge, they saw Zhang Guolao waving the dust in his hand. After receiving the sun, moon and stars, Lord Chai used magic to arrest the famous five mountains. In an instant, the donkey was seen vigorously raising its hooves and making a sound when it landed; Prince Chai pushed the cart hard, making a rumbling sound. Zhaozhou Bridge was crushed to the point of collapse under the extraordinary load. At this critical moment, Lu Ban jumped under the bridge, raised one hand upward, and held the bridge firmly. After the gods successfully crossed the bridge, the Zhaozhou Bridge remained safe and sound. From then on, several magical marks such as donkey hoof prints, ruts and knee prints were clearly left on the bridge deck. As a result, an eternal masterpiece of the Hebei folk song "Little Herding Cow" was left: "Zhaozhou Bridge Master Lu Ban came to build it, the jade railings were left by the saint, Zhang Guolao rode a donkey on the bridge, and Master Chai Wu rolled a ditch with his cart." This beautiful legend expresses the common people's praise for the Zhaozhou Bridge and its builders. worship. These magical relics on the bridge are still vivid in my mind. Now I invite you to follow me to find and take a look.

The road we are walking on now is called the "Eight Immortals Avenue". The Eight Immortals statues standing on both sides are carved from bluestone and painted black on the outside. At first glance, you can't help but feel that it has added a bit of mystery. The story of the "Eight Immortals" is widely circulated in our country, especially the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" section, which is a household name and is known to everyone. Legend has it that the Queen Mother held a banquet in Yaochi to entertain the Eight Immortals. All the Eight Immortals drank happily and got very drunk. After thanking the Queen Mother, they came to the East China Sea and took advantage of the wine to show off their skills. I saw Tieguai Li throwing the iron crutch into the water, standing on it, and crossing the waves. Then, Zhongli of the Han Dynasty used a whisk, Zhang Guolao used a paper donkey, Lu Dongbin used a flute, Han Xiangzi used a flower indigo, He Xiangu used a bamboo cover, Lan Caihe used a clapper, and Cao Guojiu used jade pieces to throw into the water and ride the wind. After seeing the treasure, the son of the Dragon King of the East China Sea became greedy, snatched Lan Caihe's decision, and abducted him into the sea. In addition, the Seven Immortals were furious and killed the Dragon King's eldest prince and injured the Dragon King's second prince. Then the dragon kings from all over the world came to join the battle and invited heavenly soldiers and generals to help. The two sides fought happily. Finally, the matter was settled through the mediation and reconciliation of Taishang Laojun, Tathagata Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva. Unity is strength! And left behind the idiom "Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing his magical powers", which shows the Eight Immortals' superior abilities and the spirit of unity and victory.

In fact, the road we are currently walking on has existed in history. In the past, ordinary people have always called it the "Imperial Road."

In the Sui Dynasty, this north-south thoroughfare passing through Zhaozhou Bridge could reach Luoyang, the eastern capital, in the south, and run through Zhuojun in the north, leading to what is now Beijing. Therefore, this road is equivalent to the current National Highway 107. I remember that when Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, the three land routes he took passed through the Zhaozhou Bridge and went south. In 1900, when the Eight-Power Allied Forces attacked Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an. Later, when they returned to Beijing, they also passed by Zhaozhou Bridge. Until the park was built in 1984, Zhaozhou Bridge still played a role as a normal transportation bridge. Therefore, the Zhaozhou Bridge has not only remained intact for more than a thousand years, but has also been in use for more than a thousand years, which is very rare in the world. Therefore, Li Chun, the designer and builder of Zhaozhou Bridge, has especially aroused the respect and admiration of the world. Please follow my right hand and look. The silicon bronze statue standing there is Li Chun, the designer and builder of Zhaozhou Bridge (the bronze statue was designed and supervised by Professor Shao Wu of the Central Academy of Fine Arts). Unfortunately, there are very few records about Li Chun in history, but there is one sentence that is very conclusive and powerful. That is, Zhang Jiazhen, the secretary of the Central Committee during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote in the book "Tang Wencui": "The stone bridge on the Xiaohe River in Zhaojun, The traces of Li Chun, the craftsman of the Sui Dynasty." It conclusively pointed out who built the Zhaozhou Bridge. Please take a closer look at the image of this outstanding architect: his deep eyes show superior wisdom; his feet are on rock, reflecting the spirit of a doer. The overall shape is solemn, grand and far-reaching, and awe-inspiring.

Please look here, what is displayed in front of us is the world-famous Zhaozhou Bridge in China. It is one of the first announced national key cultural relics protection units and a provincial patriotism education base. It has been included in the World Heritage Reserve List and is the 12th international civil engineering historical monument in the world. Let's first take a look at the bronze medallion. It is also one of the symbols of Zhaozhou Bridge's important position in the world. The inscription below reads "In Respect, American Society of Civil Engineers." The society is an authoritative organization representing international civil engineering. It has been selecting masterpieces of historical civil engineering from all over the world and recording them in history, and issuing bronze commemorative plaques as commemorations. The sign we see now is a replica, and the original has been kept in storage. On the afternoon of September 4, 1991, under the welcome slogan "Welcome the American Guests With open arms!" and the drumming of the honor guard, the Honorary Chairman of the Society, Professor Ben Gerwick, and his three-member delegation came in person. At the scene, an awarding ceremony was held. (The Chinese and English words on the red background and white letters at that time were: Unveiling Ceremony of International Civil Engineering Historical Monument Monument, that is: UNVEILING CEREMONY OF INTERNATIONAL HISTORIC CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARK) There are also other international ones that are parallel to it. The Eiffel Tower in France, the Pyramids in Egypt, and the Suez Canal in London, England, etc. At that time, our country applied for several projects including Dujiangyan, the Great Wall, etc., but only Zhaozhou Bridge was selected and became the twelfth international civil engineering historical monument bronze medal in the world at that time, and the only one in China. (The stone used for inlaying the bronze medal was selected from Zhangshiyan)

Please follow me to walk on the bridge and take a look. The local people call Zhaozhou Bridge the "Sacred Bridge". Legend has it that as long as you walk on it, you can sense the miraculous power of heaven and God, and everything will be auspicious. I wonder how you will feel when you walk on this thousand-year-old bridge? The width of the bridge deck is 9 meters, which is basically equivalent to the national secondary highway standard today. At that time, there were people coming and going on the bridge, and there was a lot of traffic; under the bridge, hundreds of boats competed for water, and thousands of sailboats raced across the bridge. It was a bustling scene. The water of the Mihe River flowing eastward, carrying the laughter and laughter of the people, merged into the sea. Please see, this is the ditch where the cart of Lord Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of Zhou Dynasty, ran over. There are also two donkey hoof marks left by Zhang Guolao when he rode a donkey on the bridge. There is a poem in the Song Dynasty praising: "The Sui Dynasty chose a stone to ride on the Hongqiao, and it was famous all over the world for many years. Wherever the fairy rode on the donkey went, the footprints are still clear to this day." It can be seen that this allusion was widely circulated in the Song Dynasty, but what exactly are these fairy relics? So far, no one can explain it clearly, and it has become an eternal mystery, adding a mysterious and dreamlike color to Zhaozhou Bridge.

Please take a look at this white marble cultural relic signboard under the south bridge head. "Anji Bridge" is the official name of Zhaozhou Bridge.

It was given the name by Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, when he passed here during his northern tour. Therefore, the official name of Zhaozhou Bridge is Anji Bridge. "Dashiqiao" is the local people's common name for Zhaozhou Bridge. It can be regarded as its nickname, so the village where the bridge is located is also called "Dashiqiao Village". Now, everyone is invited to go under the bridge, where you can carefully appreciate the charm of Zhaozhou Bridge and feel the magnificence and breadth of Zhaozhou Bridge. The single-hole span of Zhaozhou Bridge was 37.02 meters, ranking first in the world at that time and reaching the limit of the single-hole span of stone arch bridges. Therefore, the Zhaozhou Bridge is the oldest existing stone arch bridge with the largest single hole span and the most complete preservation in the world. It is recognized by the world as "the best bridge in the world". So, I want to ask you: Why are many ancient buildings in the world collapsed and damaged, but only the Zhaozhou Bridge has survived thousands of years of wind, rain, vicissitudes, and still stands tall?

First of all, it is due to the unique construction method of Zhaozhou Bridge. Please pay attention to the back of the bridge arch. We can find that along the longitudinal extension of the bridge, there are arch circles one after another, just like our fingers. This is called the longitudinal parallel masonry method. In the 1930s (November 1933), my country's outstanding architectural expert Mr. Liang Sicheng (son of Liang Qichao) went to Zhaozhou Bridge for field inspection. When he saw this method of building a bridge, he said it was "surprising". Because since ancient times, people have mostly used the horizontal parallel method to build bridge arches. Why did Li Chun use the longitudinal method to build bridges? This is because vertical bridge construction can be broken down into parts, saving manpower and material resources. First, one arch ring is built. After the arch ring is completed, the arch ring can stand independently, and the next one is built in sequence until it is completed. And since each arch ring is independent, if one arch ring is damaged, there will be no direct impact on other arch rings and the entire bridge body, making it easy to repair it individually. That is to say, this bridge-building method is convenient and practical during the initial construction period, and will also be convenient for future maintenance. In order to strengthen the horizontal connection between stones, ancient craftsmen also creatively adopted a series of scientific measures and technologies such as waist irons, hook stones, iron tie rods, and closing points, which played the same role as modern steel bars, cement, adhesives, etc. The function makes the entire bridge structure integrated, stable and firm. For thousands of years, Zhaozhou Bridge has withstood the severe test of more than ten large-scale earthquakes and floods. It is particularly worth mentioning that in March 1963, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred in Xingtai. At that time, the epicenter was less than 40 kilometers away from Zhaozhou Bridge, but Zhaozhou Bridge was safe and sound. At the same time, under the impact of the severe floods in 1963 and August 1996, Zhaozhou Bridge has repeatedly verified to the present the foresight of the ancients on the spillover design of open shoulder arches.

Some friends may want to ask: "Why can the Zhaozhou Bridge have such strong earthquake resistance?" This starts from its lower foundation. For thousands of years, about Zhaozhou Bridge The foundation of the bridge has always been a mystery, and there are various hypothetical doubts. In 1979, the Natural History Research Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted drilling and surveying on the Zhaozhou Bridge abutment foundation, and the findings were surprising. The short abutment and shallow foundation of Zhaozhou Bridge are unexpected. The bridge abutment is only made of five layers of stones, with a height of 1.549 meters and a length of about 5 meters. The abutment area is about 100 square meters. The soil under the bridge abutment is composed of clay and light clay from the Quaternary alluvial layer, which is no different from the soil under our feet. Apart from this, there is no artificial foundation. General laboratory analysis shows that this soil layer has strong stability, uniform soil quality, and a basic bearing capacity of 34 tons/square meter. The clay layer has low compressibility and will not cause sand liquefaction during earthquakes. It is a good natural foundation. Due to the scientific utilization of the soil structure and reasonable design, the forces on both sides of the bridge foundation are balanced and uneven settlement can be overcome in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, earthquakes and floods cannot affect the Zhaozhou Bridge. It is indeed very rare in the history of bridge construction at home and abroad that such a long-span stone arch bridge can be built on such a natural foundation and such a small abutment.

After hearing this, friends may understand the two important reasons why the Zhaozhou Bridge has not fallen down for thousands of years, which are the unique construction method of the Zhaozhou Bridge and the scientific calculation and utilization of the natural foundation. However, the most important reason why the Zhaozhou Bridge has survived for thousands of years is Li Chun's epoch-making initiative - that is, the open-shoulder arc arch bridge type refers to the type of bridge pioneered by Zhaozhou Bridge, that is, in the central main arch Four symmetrical arches were dug out on the bridge shoulders on both sides to form "empty collision coupons". This is the open shoulder arch structure, internationally known as Open Spandrel (i.e., hollow type, or hollow type). .

What are its advantages? The first is to increase the amount of leakage. The four small arches can increase the water crossing area by 16.5%, reduce the horizontal impact on the bridge, and enhance the role of protecting the bridge body. This has been proven by the practice of fighting against floods. ; In addition, the architectural form of the air-collision coupon opens the shoulders and saves stone materials. It not only greatly saves manpower and material resources, but more importantly, reduces the weight of the bridge body and disperses the vertical pressure of the bridge body on the abutment foundation. Therefore, Zhao Only the abutment of Zhou Bridge can be built so light and practical, and can be located directly on the natural foundation; look at Li Chun's design, and lay a layer of stone around the four small arches on the open shoulders. The vault with a layer of 16-30mm is thinly filled with stone, which exactly conforms to the principle of elastic arch in material mechanics. As we all know, the elastic arch principle was a theory that was only formulated in writing in the 19th century. It has a history of less than 200 years in the world. However, 1,400 years ago, Li Chun of China had successfully applied this principle. In practice, this can not but be said to be a miracle in the world. In layman's terms, the elastic arch principle of material mechanics is used to build a bridge. This structure can disperse the force of the stress point to every cross section of the bridge. The reason why the Zhaozhou Bridge has not fallen for thousands of years is precisely because of Li Chun The highly scientific and rational design of this open-shoulder arch bridge is also the most important contribution of the Zhaozhou Bridge School in the history of world bridge architecture. We can definitely say that it was Zhaozhou Bridge that pioneered the open-shoulder arch bridge type. First of all. The first time this type of bridge appeared in the West was in 1883, when France built the Antionnette sur lagout railway arch bridge (Pont Antionnette sur lagout) on the Iago River, and the large stone bridge built in Luxembourg (Pont de Luxembourg), etc. But they are at least more than 1,200 years later than Zhaozhou Bridge. No wonder Dr. Joseph Needham of the United Kingdom concluded: "Li Chun and the open-shoulder arch bridge he created did precede the appearance of the same type of bridge in Europe for more than a thousand years." Mr. Mao Yisheng, a famous bridge expert in my country, once pointed out: "Zhaozhou Bridge is a single-hole stone arch bridge. Although the emergence of stone arch bridges in China was earlier than the Sui Dynasty, Zhaozhou Bridge has innovative features and major technical achievements. It uses stones There are also special masonry and bow-shaped arch circles. What is more clever is to add small arches on top of the main arch circle, creating an "open shoulder" structural design. And the use practice for more than a thousand years has proved that. The Zhaozhou Bridge tradition is not only continued by Chinese and foreign stone arch bridges, but also widely used by modern reinforced concrete arch bridges, and various new developments have emerged. "Indeed, the application of open shoulder arches not only makes the bridge shape more beautiful, but also makes the bridge shape more beautiful. The most important thing is that it has several functions and functions: saving materials, reducing its own weight, simplifying the bridge foundation, and releasing floods. Its design and building structure are scientific and reasonable, and have strong stability. For thousands of years, the structural skills and artistic style of Zhaozhou Bridge have been widely used for reference. It has made an indelible and outstanding contribution to world bridge architecture and is the well-deserved ancestor of bridges!

Zhaozhou Bridge - it is a precious cultural heritage left by the working people in ancient my country. It has witnessed the wisdom of the Chinese nation and the splendid history and culture of the ancient civilizations of the world. It has also witnessed the entire Human civilization and power. Friends, facing Zhaozhou Bridge, can we not be proud of our motherland and people! For many years, it has been respected and praised all over the world. Today, it should inspire us to give full play to our intelligence and contribute our strength to building a great motherland!

My friends, my explanation is basically over. Zhaozhou Bridge Park also has a showroom and exhibition room (and forest of steles), which contain physical and photo exhibitions related to Zhaozhou Bridge. , if you still have time and thoughts, you might as well go there and have a look, which can deepen your understanding of Zhaozhou Bridge culture. In addition, our Zhao County has a long history and numerous cultural relics. In addition to the Yongtong Bridge, also known as the "sister bridge" of Zhaozhou Bridge, the Monument of Daguan Holy Works (the Fourth National Security Bureau), and the revitalized thousand-year-old Berlin Zen Temple I also hope that you can visit these fascinating attractions and enjoy your spare time. I am willing to serve as your tour guide again.

If friends have any comments or suggestions on my explanation, please point them out and help me improve my work. I will be happy to listen, because I know that this is everyone's concern and love for me. Finally, I want to say: "Zhaozhou Bridge spans Asia, Africa and Latin America, and Zhaozhou Bridge also connects you, me and him." We will welcome friends again and wish you all a safe journey and a good mood! Thank you everyone and goodbye!