Anji Bridge

Anji Bridge
Anji Bridge
	The Anji Bridge, still standing after 1400 years
Coordinates	37°43′13″N 114°45′48″E / 37.7203°N 114.7633°E
Crosses	Xiao River
Locale	Zhao County in Hebei Province, China
Characteristics
Design	Open-spandrel stone segmental arch bridge
Total length	64 metres (210 ft)
Width	9.6 metres (31 ft)
Height	7.3 metres (24 ft)
Longest span	37.37 metres (123 ft)
History
Construction start	595 CE
Construction end	605 CE
Location

The Anji Bridge (simplified Chinese: 安济桥; traditional Chinese: 安濟橋; pinyin: Ānjì Qiáo; lit. 'Safe crossing bridge') is the world's oldest open-spandrel segmental arch bridge of stone construction.^[1] Credited to the design of a craftsman named Li Chun, the bridge was constructed in the years 595–605^[2] during the Sui dynasty (581–618). Located in the southern part of Hebei Province, it is the oldest standing bridge in China. It is considered one of the Four Treasures of Hebei.^[3]

^ This title strictly applies only to the sum of attributes given (O’Connor, Colin: Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press 1993, ISBN 0-521-39326-4, p.171): Various Roman stone pillar bridges featured wooden open-spandrel segmental arches as early as the 2nd century CE, among them Trajan's bridge, the longest bridge of the world to have been built for over a thousand years. Also, a dozen or more Roman close-spandrel stone segmental arch bridges are known from the 1st century BC onwards, such as the Ponte San Lorenzo (Padua), Alconétar Bridge and the Makestos Bridge (Turkey), the last having half-open spandrels. The 27 segmental arches of the Bridge at Limyra (300 ce) feature span to rise ratios between 5.3 and 6.5 to 1, making it an earlier example of a stone quarter circle segmental arch bridge. This leaves the Anji bridge the title of "the oldest open-spandrel stone quarter circle segmental arch bridge in the world".
^ Anji Bridge at Structurae
^ ""华北四宝"收集攻略及周边景点介绍 - 马蜂窝".

[Roman_bridges-1] This title strictly applies only to the sum of attributes given (O’Connor, Colin: Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press 1993, ISBN 0-521-39326-4, p.171): Various Roman stone pillar bridges featured wooden open-spandrel segmental arches as early as the 2nd century CE, among them Trajan's bridge, the longest bridge of the world to have been built for over a thousand years. Also, a dozen or more Roman close-spandrel stone segmental arch bridges are known from the 1st century BC onwards, such as the Ponte San Lorenzo (Padua), Alconétar Bridge and the Makestos Bridge (Turkey), the last having half-open spandrels. The 27 segmental arches of the Bridge at Limyra (300 ce) feature span to rise ratios between 5.3 and 6.5 to 1, making it an earlier example of a stone quarter circle segmental arch bridge. This leaves the Anji bridge the title of "the oldest open-spandrel stone quarter circle segmental arch bridge in the world".

[structurae-2] Anji Bridge at Structurae

[3] ""华北四宝"收集攻略及周边景点介绍 - 马蜂窝".

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