Stretching across the Xiao River in the southern part of China’s Hebei province, 45kms southeast of Shijiazhuang, the ingeniously designed Zhaozhou Bridge is not only the oldest standing bridge in the country but also the oldest open-spandrel arched stone bridge in the world.
Also known as the Great Stone Bridge, Anji Bridge and Safe Crossing Bridge, it was constructed between 595 and 605 during the Sui Dynasty according to the draft of a craftsman called Li Chun. The bridge is around 50 meters long and has a central span of 37.37 meters; it is 7.3 meters high and has a width of 9 meters.
Designer Li Chun built the bridge with a stone arch that is made of enormous limestone wedges reinforced with iron. Rather innovative, the main arch curves to create a shallow arch instead of the half circle favored by Roman engineers at that time. The Zhaozhou Bridge predates any similar development in Europe by hundreds of years. A museum on site displays the construction and history of the bridge.
With a well-proportioned layout, firm structure and an attractive outward appearance, the Zhaozhou Bridge has survived no less than eight wars, ten major floods plus several earthquakes, the last of which being the Xingtai earthquake in 1966, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. Yet, the support structure stays intact and the bridge can still be used after 1,400 years.
Getting There & Away
Shijiazhuang’s airport receives flights from over 30 domestic and international destinations, including Russia. The city has more than ten long-distance bus stations from where buses run to cities inside and outside Hebei Province. Trains from Shijiazhuang Railway Station head to over 50 cities in China; the fastest train from Beijing only takes 2 hours, while it is an 18-hour journey from Shanghai. At the railway station, take bus No. 213 to the terminus which takes about one hour. The bridge is a short walk away from the bus station.