The Guangji Bridge lies to the east of Chaozhou City in Guangdong Province.
On one side of the bridge is a stone tablet inscribed with four Chinese characters that read: Flood Stops Here. Legend has it that the inscription was written by Han Xiangzi — one of the Eight Immortals. The bridge, therefore, is also known as Xiangzi Bridge. It is one of the most famous ancient bridges in China.
Its construction began in 1170 in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and lasted 57 years. With a length of 519.7 meters, the bridge has 18 piers in the east and west sections and a middle section 100 meters long. More piers were built in 1435 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the bridge’s name was changed to Guangji Bridge. The bridge later underwent five large-scale repairs. In 1638, it caught fire and all the bridge’s pavilions were burnt down.
Layers of granites joined together with rivets and tenons form 24 large and small piers. These piers are precious relics of Chinese architecture. The middle section of the bridge was rebuilt to be supported by 18 shuttle boats that allowed the structure to open and close. It is the first big stone bridge in China to be equipped with such a feature. Two iron oxen were placed on both ends of the pontoon bridge in 1723, which are now lost. In 1958, the shuttle boats were dismantled due to traffic needs and a straight bridge was rebuilt in its place. An iron ox was mounted on the bridge in 1980.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
