Why is Chaozhou Xiangzi Bridge one of the four ancient bridges in China?
Xiangzi Bridge: Xiangzi Bridge, also known as Guangji Bridge, is located in the east of Chaozhou, across the Hanjiang River, with a total length of more than 500 meters. There is a stone tablet on the bridge with the word "flood control" inscribed by Han Yu's nephew Han Xiangzi, hence the name. Xiangzi Bridge was built in the Southern Song Dynasty and lasted for 57 years. The east and west piers are *** 18, and the piers are granite blocks. The river between the east and west docks is too fast to be closed, so we have to ferry it by boat. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, a pier was added to shorten the distance of the unsealed part, and a pontoon bridge was formed with 18 shuttle boats to connect things, which became "eighteen shuttle boats expanding four continents". The pontoon bridge can be opened and closed, and it rises and falls with the tide. It is the earliest switch-type stone bridge in China. In the Ming Dynasty, the bridge was overhauled for five times, and various watchtowers were built on the pier, so the scenery of "Guangji Bridge on the fourth floor of Gansu" appeared. During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, there were two iron oxen on the piers at both ends of the pontoon bridge, and the words "Town Bridge and Royal Water" were engraved on their backs. During the Daoguang period, the flood destroyed the wharf on the east coast, and the iron cow on the wharf fell into the river. 1958, the bridge was rebuilt, the pier was reinforced, and a reinforced concrete T-beam with a hole of 19 was built. A three-hole steel truss and two high-piled cap bridges were added to the original pontoon bridge in the middle, and Guangji Bridge became a thoroughfare bridge from then on. 1976 expansion. The original 7-meter-wide bridge deck was used as a roadway, and 2 meters on both sides of the bridge would be widened as sidewalks. 1980 heavy cast iron Niu Yi is only placed on the bridge. "Xiangqiao Spring" is one of the eight scenic spots in Chaozhou.