Fujian is famous for both ancient bridges (like the longest stone bridge in the middle ages, which used bio-engineering--live oyster secretions helped cement blocks together) and its many wooden bridges. Do you have much about Chinese bridges? I've written about them in my books on China: "Amoy Magic--Guide to Xiamen," "The Fujian Adventure," and "Mystic Quanzhou--City of Light." I have some color Covered Wooden Bridge photos on our website at: http://www.amoymagic.com/Mysticquanzhou/bridges.htm The covered bridge in the middle, right side, of "My Favorite Fujian Bridges (above link) is over 700 years old and still in fairly good shape!

( Img: www.amoymagic.com/Mysticquanzhou/bridges.htm)

Mr. Cai Xiang used many innovative engineering techniques, including what may be one of the planet’s first attempts at biological engineering. The piers were ingeniously shaped like a ship’s bow to divert the raging tides. Chinese, always poetic, call them “10,000 ships launching.” (They miscounted by 9,900 but that’s “liway”, remember). The pillars’ massive granite blocks were held together with butterfly-shaped iron wedges (hence the origin of “Iron Butterfly”—almost 400 years after Kaiyuan Temple’s “Purple Haze”).

The pillars were further reinforced with live oysters, whose natural secretions cemented the blocks together. (I asked my guides how they trained the oysters to cooperate but they clammed up on me).

The granite slabs were up to 10 meters long and one meter wide, and weighed ten tons. Each time I traverse the bridge, I marvel that the ancients could have even hewn the mammoth blocks, much less transported them to the Luoyang River, where they battled its legendarily ferocious currents to set them in place.

( Img: www.amoymagic.com/Mysticquanzhou/bridges.htm)

Anping Bridge This recently renovated 2,251m bridge was the longest bridge on earth during the Middle Ages, and is still the longest stone bridge today. It was built in 1138 in Anhai by the monk Zupai as a replacement for the ferry, and wasn't completed until 1151. He used massive granite slabs, most of which are said to have been shipped from nearby Jinmen Island (Quemoy). It was originally called the Five Mile Bridge because it was Five Li (Chinese Miles) long--but I’m not sure if they were the long li, short li, mandarin li or common country li. Whichever li, the bridge is a long walk on a hot summer day, so take it slowli.

( Img: www.amoymagic.com/Mysticquanzhou/bridges.htm)

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( Img: www.amoymagic.com/Mysticquanzhou/bridges.htm)

Established in the period of Ching Dynasty, the bridge was listed as a historic site of the third ranked. Adopting the ancient skills, the ancient people used brown sugar, castor-oil plant and glutinous rice as the cement, sticking the hard rocks to form solid columns.

If you come over to Guosiing Village, don’t miss the encounter with this special bridge.

//travel.nantou.gov.tw/manasystem/files/Attactions/food_food_0202.jpg

2000.Shanxi,China

Structural Type:Deck arch bridge

Fuction / usage Highway bridge

Construction materials used Arch rib Stone

Deck system Concrete

Dimensions Arch span 2*30+146+5*30m

Rise 32.444

Width 24.8m

( Img: www.arch-bridges.cn/Show.asp?PaperID=225)

Completed in:

1990. Fenghuang, Funan Province, China

Structural Type:Deck arch bridge

Function / usage Highway bridge

Construction materials used

Arch rib Stone ribbed

Deck system Concrete deck

Dimensions Arch span 3*13m+120m+1*15m

Rise 24m

Width 24.8m

//www.arch-bridges.cn/Show.asp?PaperID=227

Fengdu . El puente Jiuxigou : tercer puente de piedra más largo del mundo: 116 metros.

Completed in:1972

Location:Sichuan Province, China

Structural Type:Masonary arch bridge

Function / usage : Highway bridge

Construction materials used Arch rib . Stone

Deck system: Concrete

DimensionsArch span 116m

Rise 14.5m

Width 7.5m

( Img: www.arch-bridges.cn/Show.asp?PaperID=288)

This list contains the longest masonry arch spans ever built being at least 50 metres (164 ft).

Lista: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_masonry_arch_bridge_spans

Ver documento pdf

Muchos de estos puentes se construyeron en los años 60 y 70, en un contexto de carencia de acero y hormigón y exceso de mano de obra barata.

Otro punto interesante es la solución adoptada, tomada directamente de la tecnología gótica de arbotantes: un arco de rosca estrecha respecto a la luz es reforzado por una hilera superior de pequeños arcos, lo que lo convierte en un eficiente mecanismo de transmisión de empujes a los estribos.

( Img: Arc-boutant. Dictionaire raisonee. Viollet-le-Duc)