12. China's Number One Bridge
12. 中国第一桥一赵州桥
Zhaozhou Bridge has a novel structure meters and beautiful shape. It is 50.82 meters long and 9.6 meters wide, with a Span of 37.37 meter. It is a one arch bridge consisting of 28 independent arches. At each shoulder of the big arc there are two small round arcs used to help drain flood water, reduce the weight of the bridge and save some stone. It is a pioneering work in the history of bridge construction. On the parapet of the bridge, there are various delicate and vivid pictures and designs. Structurally speaking, the bow-shape big arc and the small round arcs on the shoulder make the bridge look light despite its bulk body and give you the feeling that it is about to fly away. Its outline is very strong but gentle, stable but vivid, magnificent and meaningful. The sculpture of a dragon head on the top of the main arc and the Yangtianshi at the side of the bridge in the shape of a nine-petal lily expresses the wish that the bridge will be spare from the damage of floods and lasting forever safely.
赵州桥结构脯，造型美观，全长50.82米，宽9.6米，跨度为37.37米，是一座由28道独立拱券组成的单孔弧形大桥。在大桥洞顶左右两边拱肩里，各砌有两个圆形小拱，用以加速排洪，减少桥身重量，节省石料，这是建桥史上的创举。桥面两边的栏板望柱，雕有各种精美图案，刀法苍劲，造型生动。在结构上，弧形平拱和敞肩小拱给人一种巨身轻灵、跃跃欲飞的动感。线条刚劲之中见柔和，稳重之中显轻灵，雄伟之中含隽永。在主拱顶上雕有龙头的龙问石一块，八瓣莲花的仰天石点缀于桥侧。这些雕像，寄寓着大桥不受水害，长存永安的愿望。

Ever since the song Dynasty，there was a prevailing myth of lu Ban building the bridge, and people honor li Chun "saint". The legend says in ancient time, the river Jiao was always full of rolling waves in summer and autumn, and often flooded t during which people who lived by the river could not cross it even when they had emergencies. At regular time they crossed the river in a ferry, but it was very inconvenient. One night, the moon was brightly shining, lu Ban, the father of craftsmanship, drove a herd of white sheep to the bank of the river, and suddenly ail of them were converted into all kinds of stones. lu Ban wielded his hammer and started to work. By dawn, a grand stone bridge, in the faint rays of the dawning sun, had stretched over the Jiao River. This good news caused a sensation. People ran around spreading the news, even the world af immortals knew about it. Zhang Guolao, one of the "eight gods", was very surprised to hear that. He made an appointment with Prince Chai to test the bridge. As itwent, Zhang Guolao, riding his donkey, went in front, in a bag on the back of the donkey were the sun and the moon; Prince Chai followed him pushing a handicart with the five great mountains of China in it. As they advanced to the middle, the bridge began to shake under the pressure, and looked like if was about to be crushed. Grasping the peril, lu Ban plunged into the river and proped up the bridge with his hand. Only by his effort could the bridge survive. On the surface the bridge, there are some deep footprints left over by the donkey when it was exerting; as the handicart was too heavy, there was a deep rut too; prince Chai left a knee mark on the bridge when he slipped because of over exertion. Beneath the bridge, lu Ban left a big hand print when he tried to prop up the bridge. This is how these marks on the bridge come from.
自宋代以来，广泛流传着鲁班修桥的神话故事，人们把匠师李春喻为"圣人"。相传古代，蛟河水一到夏秋两季便浊浪翻滚，常常泛滥成灾，两岸百姓有急事谁也过不了河；平时也只能靠木船摆渡，很不方便。一天夜里，月光皎洁，工匠祖师鲁班，赶着白花花的羊群来到蛟河边，瞬间，羊群化作各种各样的石头，鲁班挥锤工，至拂晓时分，一座雄伟壮丽的大石桥身披晨曦横跨蛟河两岸，这一喜讯即刻轰动了百姓，人们奔走相告，同时也风闻到仙界。“八仙”之一的张果老十分惊讶，约了柴王爷一同试桥。只见张果老倒骑毛驴在前，驴背褡裢里装着日、月；柴王爷推车在后，车上装着五岳名山。行至桥中心，将桥压得摇摇欲坠。鲁班见势不妙，纵身跳人水中，用于将桥托住，才使大桥安然无恙。桥面上，毛驴上坡吃力，留下了几个深深的驴蹄印;小车过重，车轮碾出了一道深沟;柴王爷用力过猛，右脚一打滑跪在桥上，留下了一个大大的膝盖印;大桥下面，鲁班用力托住桥身，留下了一只大手印。这就是大石桥上留下各种痕迹的由来。
Zhaozhou Bridge has a deep influence on the construction of Bridge in our country. Yongtong Bridge, located outside the west gate of the capital of Zhao Country on more than five kilometers away from it, is an example. Yongtong Bridge is also called "small stone bridge", stretching over Qingshui River. Built during Cahangnian year of the Jin Dynasty(1190-1195), it has a completely the same structure and formation as that over the An'ji River. It, too, is a single whole arc bridge, with a length of 32 meters，a span of 26 meters and a width of 6.3 meters, consisting of 20 single arches standing side by side. The carves on the parapet are exquisite. There is a popular saying among native people: "Have honor for the big stone bridges，and apprectiate beauty of the small stone bridge. " That is to say，from the big stone bridge, we can learn that it has made a great contribution to the history of bridge construction，and from the small bridge, we can appreciate the exquisite decoration. Legend has it that the night when Lu Ban was building the big stone bridge, his sister, Lu Jiang, was building the small stone bridge. They competed with each other and agreed to finish their work in one night. Lu Jiang was not as skilled as her brother, and was forced to imitate her brother's work The day was about to dawn，yet she was not at all finished. Fortunately, she got helps from a god, and beat her brother. Some part of the bridge was even more beautiful than the big bridge. Another legend says that this bridge was built by Lu Ban's second pupil Yongcong, so it was named Yongcong Bridge. As time went by, there were slips of mouths about "Yongcong" and "Yongtong"，and it was called Yongtong Bridge in the end.
赵州桥对我国桥梁建筑影响深远。坐落在赵县城西门外、与其相距不足五里之遥的永通桥便是一例。永通桥又称"小石桥横跨清水河上。建于金代明昌年间 (1190 -1195)，与安济桥结构形式完全一样，亦为单孔石拱桥，全长 32米，跨度 26米，宽 6.3米，由 20道并列的单拱构成。桥上栏板雕刻精美，当地老百姓中流传着一种说法大石桥看功劳，小石桥看花草。"意思是说，大石桥看的是对世界桥梁史的贡献，小石桥看的是精美的装饰。俗传鲁班修大石桥时，其妹鲁姜修小石桥，兄妹争胜，限一夜完工;鲁姜技艺不如鲁班，只得处处模仿大石桥，天将拂晓，工犹未竣，幸得天神暗中相助，妹竟胜兄，且若干部分较大桥为优美。另有民间传说，此桥为鲁班的二徒弟永聪所造，因而小石桥名永聪桥，年代久了，人们叫溜了口，叫成了"永通桥"。