Zhaozhou Bridge
赵州桥
Zhaozhou Bridge is also called Anji Bridge. It is on the Jiaohe River to the south of Zhaoxian County town, 45 kilometers southeast of Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. Because lhe whole bridge was made of stone materials, it was called Big Stone Bridge by the local people. It was first built between 595 ~605 and the construction was supervised by Li Chun, a famous craftsman in the Sui Dynasty. The structure of Zhaozhou Bridge is original, and the appearance is beautiful. The ancient people said that "The architecture is so novel that nobody knows how it was constructed. " The bridge is 64.4 meters long, 9.6 meters wide and the span is 37. 2 meters. It is a single-hole arc bridge made up of 28 comparatively separate arches. The greatest scientific contribution of Zhaozhou Bridge is its pioneering work of "open spandrel". At each shoulder of the main arch, there are 2 small parallel arches. This not only increases passages for the running water, decreases the weight of the bridge, and saves stone materials, but also enhances the stability of the bridge. Therefore, though l ,400 years has passed, having undergone many floods, eight earthquakes, and heavy traffic, it is still standing firm over the Jiaohe River. There are many beautiful legends about the construction of Zhaozhou Bridge. In the past, the Jiaohe River overflowed, and the local people could only ferry across by boat. Lu Ban, the carpenters' ancestor, turned the sheep into stones overnight to make the bridge. Zhang Guolao and Chai Wangye, two immortals, came to test the solidity of the bridge. Zhang Guolao rode on the don-key-back, facing backward. In the long bag on the donkey-back, there were the sun and the moon. Chai Wangye pushed a one-wheeled cart, on which there were the five famous mountains in China. When they came to the middle of the bridge, it began to shake and was likely to fall down. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Lu Ban jumped into the water, and held up the bridge with his hands. Luckily, the bridge was safe and sound. So there left on the surface of the bridge clear hoof prints of the donkey and a rut. Lu Ban's fingerprints were also left on the arch of the bridge. Just like what was sung in the folk song "Child Cowherd", "Zhaozhou Bridge was built by Lu Ban, and the boulder railings were left by sages. Zhang Guolao passed the bridge on the donkey-back, and Chai Wangye made a rut by pushing the cart on the bridge. "
赵州桥，又名安济桥，坐落在石家庄东南45千米赵县城南汶河之上，因桥体全部用石料建成，当地俗称大石桥。建于隋代开皇至大业年间(595-605)，由匠师李春监造。赵州桥结构新奇，造型美观，古人说它“制造奇特，人不知其所以为”。桥全长64.4米，宽9.6米，跨度37. 02米，是一座由28道相对独立的拱券组成的单孔弧形大桥。赵州桥最大的科学贡献就是它“敞肩拱”的创举。在大拱两肩，砌了四个并列小孔，既增大流水通道，减轻桥身重量，节省石料，又增强了桥身稳定性。这就有力地保证了赵州桥在1400年的历史中，经受住了多次洪水冲击，8次大地震摇撼，以及车辆重压，仍挺立在汶河之上。关于赵州桥的建造，有很多美丽的传说。昔日汶河水泛滥，百姓只靠木船摆渡。木匠祖师鲁班一夜之间把羊群化成石头建起大桥。张果老和柴王爷一同来试桥。张果老倒骑毛驴，驴背褡裢里装着日、月；柴王爷推小车，运载着五岳名山，他们行于桥中心，将桥压得摇摇欲坠。鲁班见势不妙，纵身跳入水中，用手将桥托住，石桥安然无恙。至今桥上面还留下了清晰的驴蹄印、车道沟和膝盖印；桥底保留着鲁班的手印。正如民歌《小放牛》所唱的：“赵州石桥鲁班爷修，玉石栏杆圣人留；张果老骑驴桥上走，柴王爷推车轧了一道沟。”