Chinese stone arch bridge text

"Chinese Stone Arch Bridge"

Author: Mao Yisheng

Original text

The bridge opening of the stone arch bridge is arc-shaped, like a rainbow . Ancient myths say that the rainbow after the rain is the "bridge between earth and heaven", and one can reach the sky through the rainbow. Chinese poets like to compare arch bridges to rainbows, say arch bridges are "lying rainbows" and "flying rainbows", and describe arch bridges on the water as "long rainbows lying on waves".

Stone arch bridges appeared relatively early in the history of world bridges. This kind of bridge is not only beautiful in form, but also structurally solid. It can span rivers for decades, hundreds or even thousands of years, playing a role in transportation.

my country’s stone arch bridges have a long history. The "Traveller's Bridge" mentioned in "Shui Jing Zhu" was built around 282 AD and may be the earliest recorded stone arch bridge. Stone arch bridges can be found almost everywhere in our country. These bridges come in many sizes and forms, and many are stunning masterpieces. The most famous among them are the Zhaozhou Bridge in Zhao County, Hebei Province, and the Marco Polo Bridge in Fengtai District, Beijing.

Zhaozhou Bridge spans the Mihe River. It is a world-famous ancient stone arch bridge and the oldest stone bridge that has been in use until now. This bridge was built around 605 AD. It has been more than 1,300 years ago and still maintains its original majestic appearance. By the time of liberation, the bridge was somewhat damaged. Under the leadership of the People's Government, after thorough renovation, the ancient bridge regained its youth.

The Zhaozhou Bridge is very majestic, with a total length of 50.82 meters, a width of 9.6 meters at both ends, and a slightly narrower middle section of 9 meters wide. The design of the bridge is completely in line with scientific principles, and the construction technology is even more ingenious. Zhang Jiazhen of the Tang Dynasty said that it was "strangely made, and people don't know why." The characteristics of this bridge are: there is only one large arch in the whole bridge, which is 374 meters long. It was the longest stone arch in the world at the time. The bridge opening is not an ordinary semicircle, but resembles a bow. Therefore, there is no steep slope on the road above the large arch, making it easier for horses and cars to get on and off.

There are two small arches on each shoulder of the big arch. This creative design not only saves stone materials and reduces the weight of the bridge body, but also increases the water flow in the bridge hole and reduces the impact of floods on the bridge body when the river water surges. At the same time, adding arches to the arches makes the bridge more beautiful. The large arch is made up of 28 arch circles, just like so many bows of the same shape put together to form an arc-shaped bridge. Each arch ring can independently support the weight above it. If one arch is broken, the other arches will not be affected.

The structure of the whole bridge is well-proportioned and harmoniously matches the surrounding scenery; the stone railings on the bridge are also carved in a simple and beautiful way. Zhang Jue of the Tang Dynasty said that looking at the bridge from a distance is like "the clouds are rising in the early moon, and the rainbow is drinking from the stream." The high technical level and immortal artistic value of Zhaozhou Bridge fully demonstrate the wisdom and strength of our country's working people. Li Chun, the main designer of the bridge, was an outstanding craftsman, and his name is engraved on the inscription at the head of the bridge.

The Marco Polo Bridge on the Yongding River was built between 1189 and 1192 AD. The bridge is 265 meters long and consists of 11 semicircular stone arches. The length of each stone arch varies from 16 meters to 21.6 meters. The bridge is about 8 meters wide and the road surface is flat, almost parallel to the river. There are stone piers between every two stone arches, connecting the 11 stone arches into a whole. Because the arches are connected, this kind of bridge is called a combined-arch stone bridge.

When the Yongding River floods, it is very strong. In the past, the embankments on both sides of the river were often washed away, but this bridge has never had any accidents, which shows its strength. The bridge deck is paved with stone slabs, with stone railings and pillars on both sides. Each pillar is carved with a lion in different postures. Some of these stone lions are hugging each other, some are whispering to each other, some are like listening to the sound of water, and some are like watching passers-by. They are all different and lifelike.

As early as the 13th century, Marco Polo Bridge was world-famous. At that time, Marco Polo, an Italian, visited China. In his travel notes, he highly praised this bridge, saying that it was "unique in the world." He also particularly admired the lions carved on the bridge railings, saying that they were "* **Together they constitute a beautiful spectacle.” Domestically, this bridge has always been praised by people. It is located on the main thoroughfare and has beautiful architecture. "Lugou Xiaoyue" has long been one of the scenic spots in Beijing.

The Marco Polo Bridge is also worth commemorating in the history of our people’s resistance to imperialist aggression.

On July 7, 1937, Chinese soldiers fought here against the aggression of Japanese imperialism, marking the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War.

Why do my country’s stone arch bridges have such glorious achievements? First of all, it lies in the diligence and wisdom of our country’s working people. Their craftsmanship in making stone is extremely sophisticated. They can cut the stone into whole large stone tablets and carve the stones into various images. There are many creations in construction technology, and even more unexpected methods in lifting and hoisting. For example, the Jiangdong Bridge in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province was built 800 years ago. Some of the stone beams weigh more than 200 tons each. How they were installed is still not completely known.

Secondly, my country has a fine tradition in the design and construction of stone arch bridges. The completed bridges use less materials, have clever structures and high strength. Secondly, our country is rich in various stones for construction, which makes it easy to obtain materials locally, which also provides favorable conditions for building stone bridges.

Over the past two thousand years, our country has built countless stone arch bridges. After liberation, various types of road bridges and railway bridges were built on a large scale across the country, including many stone arch bridges. In 1961, Yunnan Province built the world's longest single-arch stone bridge, called "Changhong Bridge", with a stone arch length of 112.5 meters.

On the basis of traditional stone arch bridges, we have also built a large number of reinforced concrete arch bridges. Among them, the "double-curved arch bridge" is a new creation of our country's working people and the only one in the world. In recent years, more than 200,000 meters of this kind of arch bridge have been built across the country, the largest of which is 150 meters long. The rapid development of my country's bridge industry demonstrates the incomparable superiority of my country's socialist system. Extended information

1. Appreciation of "Chinese Stone Arch Bridge":

1. It has a long history (the earliest recorded stone arch bridge, "Traveler Bridge", was built around 282 AD).

2. Almost everywhere (i.e. numerous and widely distributed).

3. They vary in size and form, and many are amazing masterpieces - diverse and outstanding. ?

4. It is not only beautiful in form, but also solid in structure. The bridge has a long history and is in an arc shape, full of vitality.

Stone arch bridge is one of the three basic types of traditional bridges in my country. The system of stone arch bridges is diverse. The two bridges written about in this article are outstanding representatives among millions of stone arch bridges. For thousands of years, stone arch bridges have spread all over the mountains and rivers of the motherland. They have developed rapidly with the increasing economic and cultural development. They are an integral part of the splendid culture of ancient my country and have won honor for the motherland in the world.

The large number of ancient bridges that have been well preserved so far can serve as historical witnesses to the exquisite skills of bridge builders of all ages and show the wisdom and strength of our country's working people. An ancient bridge can withstand the test of natural disasters and wars and remain intact for thousands of years. It is not only preserved as a historical monument, but also maintains its inherent functions. This can be called a miracle. Of course, this should also be attributed to the diligent repairs of past dynasties. Such repair activities are often initiated by the people who love and protect bridges. This social trend has many stories in the history of bridges in my country that are worth telling.

Secondly, the stone arch bridge appeared relatively late in the history of bridge development in my country, but once it appeared, it developed rapidly. Even after the modern railway and highway bridge engineering technology was introduced to China in 1880, it still maintained its original status. The strong vitality, combined with modern engineering theory and new building materials, has achieved greater development.

This is the goal pursued by bridges and any buildings in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad. In the early sixth century, our country's skilled craftsmen exerted their intelligence and made bold innovations to achieve the glorious achievements, which are worthy of pride. ?

Thirdly, building bridges across water, the beauty of artistic conception, carvings and decorations, in various shapes, is also a national tradition that embodies our country's aesthetics. Regardless of the size of the building, the craftsmanship must be refined, just like a painting without a single flaw. Since the popularity of grotto statues, ancient stoneworkers have had a set of excellent skills and a certain level of art. The railings of Zhaozhou Bridge and the stone lions of Marco Polo Bridge are both world-famous as artistic treasures. This is also one of the artistic aspects of Chinese stone arch bridges. This valuable tradition still has a profound influence on the decoration of modern stone arch bridges.

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China’s stone arch bridges had certain achievements in ancient times and still have development prospects today. Things that were useful in the past are still functioning today. Therefore, they are a precious heritage. , showing the hard work, bravery and outstanding talents of the working people of our country. We are bound to achieve greater achievements in the modern bridge industry. ?

Arch bridge is one of the basic bridge systems. It has a long history and beautiful appearance. Famous bridges at home and abroad can be found all over the world, occupying an important position in bridge construction. It is suitable for large, medium and small-span highway or railway bridges, especially suitable for crossing canyons. Because of its beautiful shape, it is also often used in bridge construction in cities and scenic spots. ?

Since the mid-19th century, with the emergence of steel and concrete building materials, stone arch bridges have been gradually replaced by steel arch bridges and reinforced concrete arch bridges. Arch bridge structures are developing towards lightweight structures, and are gradually breaking away from the traditional top-supporting stone arch bridges and creating new types of arch bridges.

The arch ring of the arch bridge has developed into a separated rib arch, and the bridge deck has developed into a new plate-beam structure, which is supported on the arch ribs by columns (top-supporting type), or suspended from the arch ribs by suspenders. Below (downward type). When limited by the terrain or the height of the bridge building, it can also be made into a mid-support arch bridge. Arch bridges can be single-span or multi-span.

3. About the author:

Mao Yisheng (January 9, 1896 - November 12, 1989), courtesy name Tang Chen, was born in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, and worked in civil engineering in China Home, bridge expert, engineering educator, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, academician of the American Academy of Engineering, academician of the Academia Sinica, and member of the Jiusan Society. ?

Mao Yisheng served as the president of the National Hohai University of Technology, the president of Tangshan University of the Ministry of Transportation (now Southwest Jiaotong University), the president of Beiyang Institute of Technology, the director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Water Resources, and the Qiantang River Bridge Engineering Office Director, acting dean and dean of Tangshan Institute of Technology of Jiaotong University, general manager of China Bridge Corporation, president of Peiyang University, president of China/Northern Jiaotong University (including today's Southwest Jiaotong University and today's Beijing Jiaotong University), and Railway Science Research Institute Long grade.

In 1955, he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (member of the academic department). Mao Yisheng has presided over the work of the China Academy of Railway Sciences for many years and has made outstanding contributions to the progress of railway science and technology. He once presided over the construction of the first modern large-scale bridge designed and built by the Chinese - the Qiantang River Bridge, which became the history of railway bridges in China. a milestone; after the founding of New China, he participated in the design of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. He died of illness in Beijing on November 12, 1989 at the age of 93.