Xijin Bridge
Encyclopedia
Xijin Bridge is an ancient Chinese
covered bridge
or lángqiáo (廊桥) now located in Yongkang
, Jinhua
, Zhejiang Province, People's republic of China
. It's the largest covered bridge
in Zhejiang Province, and one of the largest in China.
It's also called Xijin Langqiao (traditional Chinese: 西津廊橋, simplified Chinese: 西津廊桥, pinyin: Xī Jīn Láng Qiáo). "Xi" means western/west, "Jin" means ford or ferry, so it literally means the bridge of the western ferry.
as a wooden bridge
. In the 57th year of the Kangxi Era
(1718), the bridge was rebuilt, and in the early period of the Yongzheng Era
, the bridge's pier
s were replaced with stone
s to improve its load capacity. At the beginning of the Qianlong Era
, the construction of the bridge was finished. During the Jiaqing Era
, the bridge was repaired once and in the 12th year (1807), a stone stele
(cenotaph
) was erected to praise bridge builders and to summarize the history of the bridge. The inscription on the stele is known as Xijin Qiao Zhi (traditional Chinese: 《西津橋志》, simplified Chinese: 《西津桥志》, pinyin: Xī Jīn Qiáo Zhì, literally meaning "the inscript of the Xijin Bridge").
. After the piers were replaced with stone, it was changed to 12 piers and 13 spans and shortened to 166 meters. Each pier has a length of 5.6 meters, a width of 3.3 meters, and height of 4.6 meters. Between every two piers, there are 6 or 7 girder
s spanning the tops of piers. Each girder has an average length of 13 meters.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
or lángqiáo (廊桥) now located in Yongkang
Yongkang, Zhejiang
Yongkang is a county-level city located in the central part of Zhejiang Province, China.The county was established in the time of Wu Kingdom during the famous Three Kingdoms Period. The Chinese name means "Forever Well-being". In the last two decades, Yongkang has been well known for both its...
, Jinhua
Jinhua
Jinhua is a prefecture-level city in central Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It borders the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the northwest, Quzhou to the southwest, Lishui to the south, Taizhou to the east, and Shaoxing to the northeast....
, Zhejiang Province, People's republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It's the largest covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
in Zhejiang Province, and one of the largest in China.
It's also called Xijin Langqiao (traditional Chinese: 西津廊橋, simplified Chinese: 西津廊桥, pinyin: Xī Jīn Láng Qiáo). "Xi" means western/west, "Jin" means ford or ferry, so it literally means the bridge of the western ferry.
History
The bridge was constructed during the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
as a wooden bridge
Wooden bridge
A wooden bridge is a bridge that uses wood as a building medium. One of the first forms of bridges, the wooden bridge has been used since ancient times, among them the Holzbrücke Rapperswil-Hurden crossing upper Lake Zürich in Switzerland. The prehistoric timber piles discovered to the west of the...
. In the 57th year of the Kangxi Era
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor ; Manchu: elhe taifin hūwangdi ; Mongolian: Энх-Амгалан хаан, 4 May 1654 –20 December 1722) was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the first to be born on Chinese soil south of the Pass and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722.Kangxi's...
(1718), the bridge was rebuilt, and in the early period of the Yongzheng Era
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
, the bridge's pier
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
s were replaced with stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
s to improve its load capacity. At the beginning of the Qianlong Era
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
, the construction of the bridge was finished. During the Jiaqing Era
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor was the seventh emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820....
, the bridge was repaired once and in the 12th year (1807), a stone stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
(cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
) was erected to praise bridge builders and to summarize the history of the bridge. The inscription on the stele is known as Xijin Qiao Zhi (traditional Chinese: 《西津橋志》, simplified Chinese: 《西津桥志》, pinyin: Xī Jīn Qiáo Zhì, literally meaning "the inscript of the Xijin Bridge").
Structural parameters
The bridge is a mixed stone and wooden bridge; the piers are made of stone and its upper structures are mostly wooden. When it was a completely wooden bridge, it had a length of 206.3 meters distributed over 15 piers and 16 spansSpan (architecture)
Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
. After the piers were replaced with stone, it was changed to 12 piers and 13 spans and shortened to 166 meters. Each pier has a length of 5.6 meters, a width of 3.3 meters, and height of 4.6 meters. Between every two piers, there are 6 or 7 girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
s spanning the tops of piers. Each girder has an average length of 13 meters.
See also
- Covered bridgeCovered bridgeA covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
- Chengyang BridgeChengyang BridgeThe Chengyang Bridge or Chengyang Wind-Rain Bridge , is a famous bridge in Sanjiang County , Liuzhou, Guangxi Province , People's Republic of China...
, another large lángqiáo (廊桥) in GuangxiGuangxiGuangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, China