Chaozhou · Guangji Bridge—One of China's Four Famous Ancient Bridges

Coming down from Han Wengong Temple to the Han River, walking along the riverbank for a short distance brings you to the famous Guangji Bridge. Guangji Bridge is one of China's four famous ancient bridges, alongside Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei, Lugou Bridge in Beijing, and Luoyang Bridge in Quanzhou. Originally built in the seventh year of the Qiandao period during the Southern Song Dynasty (1171), it has a history of nearly 900 years, making it one of China's oldest existing structures. Beyond its long history, Guangji Bridge is renowned worldwide for its unique design and dual function of crossing the river while accommodating water transportation. It is the world's first opening bridge. As mentioned earlier, the Han River was an important channel for Chaozhou's external communications. Especially for Chaozhou, surrounded by mountains and geographically enclosed, water transportation on the Han River was crucial. Building a bridge spanning the Han River would have devastatingly impacted water transport, as ancient people lacked the technology to build bridges with sufficient clearance underneath. However, the need to connect both banks of the Han River was equally important. Thus, the ingenious people built Guangji Bridge, this legendary masterpiece. Guangji Bridge spans 518 meters in total, divided into three sections. The eastern beam bridge connecting to the east bank is 283.35 meters long, with 12 piers, 1 abutment, and 12 spans. The western beam bridge connecting to the west bank is 137.3 meters long, with 8 piers and 7 spans. These two sections are fixed bridges, similar to other ancient bridges. What truly makes Guangji Bridge world-famous is the 97.3-meter floating bridge in the middle. This floating bridge, formed by eighteen wooden boats connected side by side, regularly opens and closes, serving the dual purpose of connecting both banks and facilitating water transportation, becoming a legendary bridge of its time. Arriving at the eastern bridgehead, paying 20 yuan to enter Guangji Bridge brings you onto a piece of history. Today's Guangji Bridge is entirely a tourist bridge, becoming Chaozhou's most famous tourist attraction. Walking on the bridge, you can appreciate the ingenuity of ancient engineering. All 20 bridge piers have pointed bow-shaped fronts facing upstream, effectively diverting water and reducing water pressure on the piers. Most piers have pavilions built on them, each with a different design, showcasing almost all ancient Chinese pavilion styles—a veritable museum of pavilions—and each with its own poetic name. The wooden carvings on the pavilions and stone carvings on the railings throughout the bridge were crafted by skilled artisans with meticulous detail, demonstrating their craftsmanship. Wandering through history, having crossed the rolling Han River, a tall and majestic city gate tower stands proudly beside the western bridgehead—the famous ancient city of Chaozhou is right before your eyes.