Guangji Bridge (Chaozhou)

Guangji Bridge
a view of Guangji Bridge from the ancient city wall on the west bank
Coordinates	23°39′48″N 116°39′02″E / 23.6632°N 116.6505°E / 23.6632; 116.6505
Crosses	Han River
Locale	Chaozhou, Guangdong
Characteristics
Design	beam bridge, bateau bridge, pontoon bridge, open-close bridge
Total length	517.95 metres (1,699 ft)
No. of spans	18
Piers in water	24
History
Construction start	1170 (Year 7 of the Qiandao era, Southern Song)
Location

Guangji Bridge (simplified Chinese: 广济桥; traditional Chinese: 廣濟橋; pinyin: Guǎngjì Qiáo; lit. 'Great Charity Bridge'), also known as Xiangzi Bridge (simplified Chinese: 湘子桥; traditional Chinese: 湘子橋; pinyin: Xiāngzǐ Qiáo), is an ancient bridge that crosses the Han River east of Chaozhou, Guangdong province, China.^[1] A key cultural relic under national protection, the bridge is renowned as one of China's four famous ancient bridges, the other three being Zhaozhou Bridge, Lugou Bridge, and Luoyang Bridge.^[2]

There is an old saying, "到潮不到桥，枉向潮州走一遭",^[1] that means if you go to Chaozhou without visiting the bridge, you cannot say that you have been to Chaozhou. Mao Yisheng, a famous expert on the bridge, said, "A part of Guangji Bridge is connected by boats as a pontoon bridge. When it is open, there is a channel for ships and boats to get across. It can also be closed. Since it can be open or closed, it is a special case in the history of bridges in China."^[3] There are various pavilions on the bridge, so there is a popular saying, "twenty-four pavilions have twenty-four styles". The pavilions housed businesses. It was a prosperous time, so people said, "In one Li one the bridge, there is one Li of business market."^[1]