Guangji Bridge, Chaozhou

Also known as Xiangzi Bridge, Guangji Bridge is located outside the east gate of Chaozhou Ancient City. Xiangzi Bridge is one of the four ancient bridges in China, and was built in the 7th year of the Qiandao period of the Song Dynasty (1171). Guangji Bridge is as famous as Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei, Luoyang Bridge in Quanzhou, and Lugou Bridge in Beijing, and is known as one of the four ancient bridges in China. In ancient times, it was a major transportation hub from Guangdong to Fujian and Zhejiang. The bridge has a unique structure and exquisite decoration, and has always been known as the "No. 1 Bridge in Jiangnan". Bridge expert Mao Yisheng praised it as "the world's earliest drawbridge". Tracing back the construction history of Guangji Bridge, it was first built because the section of the Han River flowing through Chaozhou was wide and the water was fast. At that time, the governor of Chaozhou, Zeng Wang, connected 86 boats to form a pontoon bridge, which not only prevented the bridge from being washed away by the river, but also allowed the bridge to be moved freely to allow boats to pass, thus ending the history of the east and west banks of the Han River being separated. Every evening, the floating boats in the middle section are moved away to allow passing boats to pass, and Guangji Bridge becomes a "broken bridge" at night. The next morning, the floating boats are reconnected to form a pontoon bridge for tourists to pass. This happens day after day, year after year. Xiangzi Bridge is more than 500 meters long and has 24 piers: 13 on the east side and 11 on the west side. The middle section is connected by more than a dozen shuttle boats to form a pontoon bridge, which is very unique. However, there are now only 21 piers because the bridge was later rebuilt and the three piers at both ends of the bridge were filled in to form a bank, leaving only 21 piers. The beauty of Guangji Bridge lies not only in its appearance, but also in its outstanding cultural connotation. Walking on Guangji Bridge is more like visiting a magical "city on the water" than crossing a river. The bridge is composed of pavilions, each with a couplet and a plaque, all written by calligraphy masters, showing the cultural heritage of the people of Chaozhou.