China Shiqiao

Stone arch bridge is one of the three basic types of traditional bridges in China. Stone arch bridge system is diverse. The two bridges described in this paper are outstanding representatives of millions of stone arch bridges. For thousands of years, stone arch bridges have spread all over the country. With the development of economy and culture, they have made rapid progress. They are an integral part of China's splendid ancient culture and have won honor for the motherland in the world. Up to now, a large number of ancient bridges are well preserved, which can be said to be the historical testimony of the exquisite skills of bridge builders in past dynasties, and also show the wisdom and strength of the working people in China. An ancient bridge can stand the test of natural disasters and wars and has not been broken for thousands of years. It is a miracle that it has not only been preserved as a monument, but also maintained its inherent functions. Of course, it is also due to the hard repair of the past dynasties, and this repair activity often comes from the folk's love and protection of the bridge. There are many stories about this social fashion in the history of Chinese bridges, which is worth telling. China is regarded as an ancient country with many bridges. This historical concept and quantitative concept, as well as the intuitive impression that there are physical objects to follow, are all knowledge that needs to be involved in understanding Chinese stone arch bridges. If these vivid historical facts are removed, not only is the connotation empty, but what can one or two isolated bodies tell us?

Secondly, the stone arch bridge appeared late in the history of bridge development in China, but once it appeared, it developed rapidly, that is, after the modern railway and highway bridge engineering technology was introduced into China in 1880, it still maintained its vigorous vitality, and made great progress in combination with modern engineering theory and new building materials. The two bridges introduced in this paper have been in Zhao Zhouqiao for 1400 years, and Lugou Bridge has stood on the turbulent Yongding River for nearly 700 years. Both of them are majestic and solid, and they still maintain their original style, which can be used by heavy vehicles. It is rare in stone bridges at home and abroad. Zhao Zhouqiao's open-shouldered creation was seven centuries earlier than that of the West. The reason why it can last for a long time shows that the design and construction are scientific. Another example is the shallow foundation and short abutment in Zhao Zhouqiao. Many modern engineers were surprised because it was unscathed after many earthquakes and floods. This is by no means accidental. Tang Dynasty's Preface to Shiqiao said, "People don't know why it's amazing." This evaluation is almost the same as that of engineering scholars in the twentieth century, and it is highly skilled, which can be seen here. In a large number of historical facts, the technical achievements of ancient stone arch bridge "saving materials, skillful structure and high strength" are summarized, which is the consistent goal pursued by bridges and any buildings at home and abroad. At the beginning of the 6th century, China's skillful craftsmen displayed their intelligence and made bold innovations, and their brilliant achievements were worthy of pride.

Thirdly, bridging the bridge across the water, the beauty of artistic conception, the beauty of carving and decoration, and the diversity of styles are also the national traditions that embody China's aesthetic standards. No matter the size of the building, the technology should be improved, just like painting, there can be no failure. Since the prevalence of grotto statues, ancient masons have had a set of superb skills and a certain level of artistic design. The railings in Zhao Zhouqiao and the stone lions in Lugou Bridge are both famous for their artistic treasures, which is also a precious artistic tradition of Chinese stone arch bridges and has a far-reaching influence on the decoration of modern stone arch bridges.

The stone arch bridge in China has made some achievements in ancient times, and it still has development prospects today. What used to be useful is still working today. Therefore, it is a precious heritage, showing the industriousness, courage and outstanding talents of the working people in our country. We will certainly make greater achievements in the cause of modern bridges.

Zhao Zhouqiao, also known as Anji Bridge and Dashi Arch Bridge, is located on Qingshui River, five miles south of Zhao County, Hebei Province. It is not only the first stone arch bridge in China, but also the first stone arch bridge in the world today. Literati in the Tang Dynasty praised the bridge "at the beginning of the month, Yun Qi, Changhong drinks".

This bridge was built in the Sui Dynasty from 605 to 6 18. It was built by an ordinary stonemason, Li Chun, with a history of 1350 years. In the long years, despite numerous floods, wind and rain, ice and snow erosion and eight earthquakes, it stood on the Qingshui River unscathed.

The Zhao Zhouqiao designed by Li Chun is 50.82 meters long, 9.60 meters wide, with a clear span of 37.37 meters and an arch height of 7.23 meters. He considered that in order to make the slope of the bridge deck small, the height-span ratio of the bridge 1: 5 is convenient for pedestrians and vehicles to pass. The vault is so high that it is easy to sail under the bridge. He also made two small arches on the shoulders of the big arch, which made the whole bridge look particularly balanced and symmetrical, which not only facilitated flood discharge in rainy season, but also saved building materials. Its structure is magnificent, gorgeous and reasonable, which is imitated by later generations. The bridge deck designed by Li Chun is straight, with three strands, with horses and chariots in the middle and pedestrians on both sides, which can not only keep order, but also prevent traffic accidents. It can be seen that 1300 years ago, under the condition of very backward technology, an ordinary stonemason Li Chun had such superb technology, which is really commendable.

Li Chun's stone and stone masonry skills are different. He used rectangular stones, each weighing about one ton. More than 65,438+0,350 years ago in the Sui Dynasty, it was difficult for Li Chun to transport such a heavy stone without cranes and cranes. This fully shows the great wisdom of our working people. It can be seen how much effort and cost Li Chun has paid!

Li Chun led other craftsmen to carve fine twill on each side of the stone, so that the stone was interlocked and fixed. The whole bridge consists of 28 independent stone arches side by side. He believes that this will enable each stone arch to carry its own load independently, and it is easy to maintain. In order to strengthen the connection of the arch ring, he used nine iron beams to penetrate the arch back, and then embedded waist iron between the arch stones, so that the bridge was "ingenious and used by the world."

Finally, Li Chun organized craftsmen to carve many exquisite classical carving arts on the stone railings on both sides of the bridge deck. Exquisite design, vigorous and powerful knife cutting, changeable carving spirit, and all kinds of birds and animals are lifelike, which can be called a masterpiece of sculpture art in Sui and Tang Dynasties. This new type of bridge with upper arch and lower arch and "open shoulder arch", this layout and this huge span form such a beautiful shape, which is the first in Li Chun's world. In Europe, the Sylar Bridge on the Teke River appeared in the14th century, but it was more than 700 years later than Zhao Zhouqiao in China, and it was already destroyed by floods. Therefore, the Zhao Zhouqiao built by Li Chunzao is the only one with the longest survival time in the history of bridge construction in the world, which occupies an important position and is of great value in the world. This is the pride and pride of the people of China.

This Zhao Zhouqiao, with a long history, unique structure, beautiful appearance and the first place in the world, embodies Li Chun's sweat and hard work. Li Chun became the first bridge expert in the architectural history of China and even the world.

However, there is no more record about Li Chun's life story. Even after the Sui Dynasty, people in the Tang Dynasty only recorded it in several languages, such as "The person who made the strange Zhao Zhouqiao was Li Chun, a craftsman of the Sui Dynasty". Zhang Shizhen, the secretary after Kaiyuan 103 (AD 726) was built in Zhao Zhouqiao 100, briefly mentioned in the inscription of Anji Bridge: "The trace of Qingshuihe Stone Bridge in Zhaozhou, the craftsman Li Chun of Sui Dynasty, is also strange, and people don't know what he did." This shows that in feudal society, I don't know how many inventions and creations of working people were buried.

It is particularly worth mentioning that Zhao Zhouqiao has a very solid foundation. Since 1350, the settlement of bridge foundations on both sides is only 5 cm, which shows that the site selection of Li Chunqiao is scientific and reasonable. The foundation of Zhao Zhouqiao Bridge is built on the white coarse sand layer of Qingshui River bed. There is neither piling nor other stones. The abutment only uses five layers of stones. The bridge foundation is firm and the structure is simple. Before 1350 years ago, Li Chun dared to bear all the weight of the bridge with such natural foundation, which showed that Li Chun had a profound understanding of engineering, mechanics, architecture, hydrology and geology. Li Chun has so much scientific knowledge, which is undoubtedly obtained and accumulated from his labor practice. It shows the great wisdom of the working people in ancient China, and Li Chun's name will go down in history forever.