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Anping Bridge (simplified Chinese: 安平桥; traditional Chinese: 安平橋; pinyin: Ānpíng Qiáo is a stone beam bridge in China's Fujian province. It is 2,070 metres (1.29 mi) long,[1] making it the longest bridge in China between 1151, when it was first completed, and 1905.[2] The bridge is also known as the Wuli Bridge (simplified Chinese: 五里桥; traditional Chinese: 五里橋; pinyin: Wǔ Lǐ Qiáo, literally Five Li Bridge) because its length is about 5 li, where a li is about 500 meters or ¼ mile.[2] It is a nationally protected historic site registered with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
The bridge lies in the prefecture-level municipality of Quanzhou, crossing a tidal estuary that separates the town of Anhai (in the county-level municipality of Jinjiang) from the town of Shuitou (in the county-level municipality of Nan'an). It is named after Anhai, which used to be called Anping.
Anping Bridge consists of 331 spans of granite beams resting on top of stone piers, the largest beam weighing 25 tons. The width of the bridge varies from 3 to 3.8 metres (9.8 to 12.5 ft). It originally had five pavilions where travelers could rest; however, only one pavilion still exists.[2]
Construction of the bridge started in 1138 during the Southern Song Dynasty and lasted until 1151. It was originally 811 zhang long [2,223 metres (1.381 mi)] and 1.6 zhang [4.4 metres (14 ft)] wide,[2] with 362 spans.[3] Upon completion, the bridge was renowned throughout China, inspiring the description, "There is no bridge in the world longer than this one" (simplified Chinese: 天下无桥长此桥; traditional Chinese: 天下無橋長此橋). There have been six major repairs since its opening, and the bridge is now shorter due to the silting of the bay.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Fu 2002, p. 185
- ^ a b c d Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China
- ^ Tongji University
References
[edit]- Fu Xinian; Guo Daiheng; Liu Xujie; Pan Guxi; Qiao Yun; Sun Dazhang (December 2002). Steinhardt, Nancy (ed.). Chinese Architecture. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09559-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China (2003). "Anping Bridge (Five Li Bridge)". ChinaCulture.org.
- Tongji University, Bridge Engineering Department (2000). "Ancient Bridges in China". Bridges in China.