Guangji Bridge (Chaozhou)
Guangji Bridge (simplified Chinese: 广济桥; traditional Chinese: 廣濟橋; pinyin: Guǎngjì Qiáo; lit. 'Great Charity Bridge'), also known as Xiangzi Bridge (simplified Chinese: 湘子桥; traditional Chinese: 湘子橋; pinyin: Xiāngzǐ Qiáo), is an ancient bridge that crosses the Han River east of Chaozhou, Guangdong province, China. A key cultural relic under national protection, the bridge is renowned as one of China's four famous ancient bridges, the other three being Zhaozhou Bridge, Lugou Bridge, and Luoyang Bridge.
Guangji Bridge | |
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a view of Guangji Bridge from the ancient city wall on the west bank | |
| Coordinates | 23.6632°N 116.6505°E |
| Crosses | Han River |
| Locale | Chaozhou, Guangdong |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | beam bridge, bateau bridge, pontoon bridge, open-close bridge |
| Total length | 517.95 metres (1,699 ft) |
| No. of spans | 18 |
| Piers in water | 24 |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1170 (Year 7 of the Qiandao era, Southern Song) |
| Location | |
| Guangji Bridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 廣濟橋 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 广济桥 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Broad River Crossing Bridge" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There is an old saying, "到潮不到桥，枉向潮州走一遭", that means if you go to Chaozhou without visiting the bridge, you cannot say that you have been to Chaozhou. Mao Yisheng, a famous expert on the bridge, said, "A part of Guangji Bridge is connected by boats as a pontoon bridge. When it is open, there is a channel for ships and boats to get across. It can also be closed. Since it can be open or closed, it is a special case in the history of bridges in China." There are various pavilions on the bridge, so there is a popular saying, "twenty-four pavilions have twenty-four styles". The pavilions housed businesses. It was a prosperous time, so people said, "In one Li one the bridge, there is one Li of business market."