Wuhan, China and World Bridge Culture

The ancient bridge in China is not only the material achievement of our ancestors' conquest of rivers and canyons, but also the historical symbol of social progress. It contains various and multi-level historical and cultural connotations in tangible material form. First of all, standing on the river shows us the wisdom and science that the ancients achieved under relatively simple conditions at that time. They show a high degree of scientific knowledge, rational spirit and creative ability in the process of understanding and transforming nature. Secondly, bridges built in different times always show people's understanding of the relationship between man and nature at that time intentionally or unintentionally, from which we can see the philosophical thinking, functional pursuit and aesthetic interest of bridge builders. Bridge is also a cultural and psychological masterpiece left by our ancestors, and there are many historical materials for us to read and appreciate carefully. It is the fruit of emotion, which embodies the ancient people's psychological experience of fearing nature and daring to struggle, and embodies their understanding of beauty and aesthetic ideal. Similarly, after repeated contests between human beings and nature, many bridges were finally successfully built. Because we have mastered the objective laws, it is not easy to win in transforming nature. It is in the history of repeated destruction and construction that people's willpower is strong and great. Thus, the ancient bridge in China contains rich historical and cultural connotations, which is worthy of our in-depth study.

First, consciously pursue innovation.

The history of ancient bridge construction in China has long proved that ancient people in China made great efforts for bridge construction. They always guide the bridge construction with the spirit of free and conscious creation according to the constantly developing social needs. No matter in the design of bridge type, the choice of building materials, the expansion of bridge span and the improvement of clearance under the bridge, they are constantly pursuing new development and have always been at the forefront of bridge construction in the world for a long historical period. It is this conscious pursuit of innovation that makes the ancient bridges in China have the characteristics of diverse types, rich materials, solid texture, exquisite modeling and rich art, and occupy a very important historical position in the history of bridge construction in the world.

Judging from the development of bridges in China, only after overcoming the difficulties in design, construction, use and maintenance, so as to achieve technological progress and scientific development, can we complete new creative tasks. Take the bridge construction method as an example. In the early bridge construction, due to the limitation of materials, structure and many other factors, wooden stakes were mostly used as bridge columns. That is, the pre-prepared pile is driven into the soil to make it penetrate deep into the soil layer, and the superstructure of the bridge is firmly supported by its friction with the surrounding soil and the bearing capacity of the pile tip. When Chinese bridges developed to Zhu Han stage in Qin Liang, wooden stakes began to become a form of bridge foundation. People drive wooden stakes into underwater soil, and then build stone shafts or piers on them. In this way, a bigger bridge can be built. This method has been used for quite a long time. Xi 'an Baqiao Bridge, rebuilt in the 13th year of Qing Daoguang (A.D. 1833), was built with stone shafts on the basis of wooden stakes and wooden beams placed on them.

When people want to build a bridge in a fast-flowing river or at the intersection of rivers and seas, piling as a foundation is sometimes not applicable. This new method was created by bridge builders in Song Dynasty, who built Luoyang Bridge in Quanzhou. In order to solve the difficulties of piling and foundation construction under the invasion of river tide, bridge workers are working in "? Inspired by the experience of "stone as a floating bridge", a construction technology called "raft foundation" in modern engineering was created. Raft foundation is an underwater stone dike that uses the rich advantages of local stones to fill a large number of stones at the bridge site at the bottom of the river to build the pier foundation. The raft foundation of Luoyang Bridge is about 25 meters wide and 500 meters long, with an average height of more than 3 meters, and the total amount of riprap is more than 30,000 cubic meters. In order to connect these stones into a whole, the bridge builders also boldly used a unique method of planting oysters to strengthen the bridge foundation, because oyster shells can be attached to rock reefs and can be cemented with thrown stones to an unbreakable degree. The cultivation of oysters makes groups of oysters settle in the cracks of stones and glue the scattered stones into a solid whole. At the same time, oysters also tightly connect the bridge foundation with the stone pier. This creation has enabled Luoyang Bridge to stand safely in the rivers and tides, and it has remained strong for thousands of years, providing safe and convenient conditions for Quanzhou people to cross the river. This cannot but be attributed to the raft foundation lying in obscurity at the bottom of the water! It made the bridge take root at the mouth of Luoyang River. Raft foundation is a great achievement in the history of Chinese bridge construction, and it is also an outstanding contribution of Chinese bridge builders to the world bridge construction technology.

Another example is the solution of bridge flood discharge, which also shows the conscious innovation spirit of ancient Chinese bridge builders. The firmness of the bridge depends not only on the foundation, but also on solving the water problem. Water, usually gentle, is used to describe the tenderness and softness of emotions, which is often said to be "tender as water". But when the water gathers into a torrent, it is bound to rush to a lower place. The power it produces is violent and ruthless. People equate it with the beast and call it a "flood beast". Many bridges collapsed under the impact of the flood. Therefore, understanding the water regime has become one of the most basic prerequisites in bridge construction. In the long history of bridge construction, bridge workers have been groping, gradually realizing the inherent laws and accumulating rich experience. At the same time, with the deepening of understanding of water, we can also take corresponding measures when building bridges. The pier is facing the flood and being washed away, such as a mainstay, resisting the current. In this respect, the contribution of ancient bridge builders in China is also remarkable.

For example, Zhao Zhouqiao, a world-famous city, pays full attention to the requirement of smooth water flow from the aspects of bridge type selection and bridge body design. According to related books, The fluctuation of this river is very remarkable in a year. Every summer and autumn, "when it rains heavily, the water surges and Jian 'ou falls, which is unstoppable". If multi-span wooden bridges and Liang Shi bridges are built, it is difficult to meet the flood discharge requirements of rivers. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure the safety of the beam bridge. Based on the above considerations, the bridge architect represented by Li Chun creatively chose the single-span circular arch as the basic bridge type. Using single span instead of composite arch, there is no pier in the middle of the river to block the water flow; The flat arch has a large span, which can make the abutments on both sides of the river as close as possible to the river bank, instead of extending out to the center of the river like the semi-circular arch. The purpose of this is to leave a spacious passage for the flood in advance, so that it can have a way to go and will not conflict with the bridge again. Just in case, the big arch of the bridge is also equipped with two small arches on each shoulder, and the arch bridge is changed from solid abdomen to open abdomen, which is another great initiative. This not only saves materials, reduces the weight of the bridge, but also arranges another line of defense for flood. These four small arches are like four magical soldiers of the flood-fighting army. Zhang said in the inscription of Anji Bridge in Tang Dynasty that four small arches were built to "kill the raging angry water". In fact, they do ensure the smooth discharge of floods in summer and autumn.

In the process of building ancient bridges in China, people have created many new measures to overcome floods. For example, in order to reduce the local scour of the pier by water flow, improve the shape of the pier, improve the drainage capacity and ensure the safety of the bridge. For example, Lugou Bridge, a famous bridge at home and abroad, has been lying on Yongding River for more than 800 years, which also depends on its effective measures in flood discharge and ice breaking. Legend has it that Lugou Bridge is equipped with a dragon-cutting sword. It is said that there are 10 dragons in the upper reaches of Yongding River, which run straight at the arch of the bridge, and well-meaning people are worried about the safety of the bridge. However, as soon as the dragon got under the bridge, it was not only powerless to wreak havoc, but also vanished immediately, and the flood tamely flowed through bridge opening. So people think that the Dragon Sword on Lugou Bridge has exerted great power. In fact, the "water-dividing sword" to subdue the flood is a special facility of the pier of Lugou Bridge and a real creation of the bridge builder. This is the real "magic weapon" for flood control and drainage. It turns out that the Yongding River is under Huairou, passing through an alpine canyon, and the water flow is particularly urgent. In March and April at the turn of spring and summer, the ice and snow in the upper reaches melted, the river surged, and a large amount of ice formed on the river, which slammed into the pier by the water potential. If the piers are designed according to the general rules, Lugou Bridge may often be unlucky. For this reason, the bridge builders who have mastered the trick of overcoming floods from the practice of bridge construction have made unusual treatments for the piers: firstly, increase the pier volume to make it much larger than the ordinary stone arch bridge, with a length of at least 4.5 meters and a maximum length of 5.2 meters, and the width of each pier is 6.5? Between 7.9 meters, this is the so-called thick pier arch bridge. Secondly, the shape of the front tip and the rear pier is boat-shaped, and the water diversion tip is built near the water surface. On the Phoenix Terrace at the foot of the arch ticket, there are six layers of slabs with a thickness of1.82m, which are called "face-pressing stones" in stone replacement projects to increase the weight of the diversion tip and protect the arch foot from being washed away by flowing ice. It is particularly worth mentioning that each diversion tip is equipped with a triangular iron column with a length of 26 cm, and the sharp corner of the iron column is facing the direction of the upstream flood. In this way, the heavy piers and sharp and firm water diversion tips solve the impact of floods, so that the whole bridge body is free from the violent collision of water and there will be no danger.

Second, vivid aesthetic expression.

Chinese bridges are becoming more and more perfect in the process of development, which includes the painstaking efforts and sweat of bridge builders in past dynasties. They persistently explore all natural mysteries related to bridge construction, and constantly move from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom in the research of bridge science. Mr Mao Yisheng once talked proudly about the beauty of Chinese bridges. He said that a bridge must be the most beautiful if it has the highest strength and the least materials and money. There are no extra tumors there, but they are balanced everywhere. Such a bridge is in harmony with nature, just as Qin Shaoyou said,' The green water bridge outside is flat'. In East Wind, Zhu Men reflected Liu's. In other words, the beauty of Chinese bridges comes from scientific rationality, superb technology and romantic artistic imagination. These are the three basic elements of bridge beauty: scientific beauty, technical beauty and artistic beauty.

Scientific beauty of bridges; It is people's grasp of objective laws in the practice of bridge building. This is the premise of success, beauty and ugliness in bridge construction. It is in the process of dealing with rapids, sediments and various building materials that human beings constantly try to control them and make these natural factors obey human will. The realization of this freedom must go through scientific research, and the mastery of nature and people's spiritual satisfaction are all caused by the achievements of scientific research.

The technical beauty of the bridge means that people build a smooth road across the river from the original materials or synthetic materials in nature in the process of hands-on. This is the conquest and domination of specific materials, so the determined materiality is full of utilitarian color, allowing vehicles and pedestrians to cross the river barrier freely. At the same time, in front of the bridge, a realistic work of human beings transforming nature, people saw their own strength and skills, and their desire to create a better "second nature" on the basis of using nature finally became a reality step by step through the labor of their hands. This is an integral part of human's essential strength? The realization of building a powerful country will certainly make the workers themselves and even all mankind feel heartfelt joy.

The artistic beauty of the bridge means that in the process of building the bridge, people should not only have the ability to explore deeply, but also have the ability to move mountains and fill the sea, cut down trees and split stones, and have a rich and vivid imagination. Only when the creator has a beautiful idea in his heart can he turn it into a beautiful reality when he starts processing. Therefore, strange and novel imagination is the pioneer of creativity, while those seemingly wild and absurd fantasies are the catalysts for meticulous and down-to-earth scientific research and technical production. It can be seen that the artistic beauty of the bridge is different from the beauty of works of art belonging to pure ideology. Based on scientific beauty and mediated by technical beauty, it shows the freedom of the soul under the restriction of material utility. Therefore, the external modeling of the bridge contains scientific wisdom and technical ingenuity. It is the carrier of various aesthetic elements and the image expression of group emotion based on social utility. Here, through the aesthetic analysis of the main bridges in China, we want to see the rich aesthetic connotation accumulated in them and appreciate the foundation of the overall image of various bridges.

In fact, appreciate their unique charm.

From the modeling characteristics, the beam bridge is dominated by straight lines. No matter how much changes have taken place in the material, structure and volume of the bridge, ancient and modern beam bridges always use solid bridge piles or piers to stand in the water and rely on them to support the beams. If we ignore the materiality and details of bridge piles and piers, or temporarily downplay their original "body" characteristics and take them as "lines" for a little abstraction, then the bridge piles or piers standing in the water can be regarded as vertical lines, and the beams laid flat on them can also be regarded as horizontal lines. The history of the bridge and a large number of physical objects tell us that the most basic composition of the beam bridge is composed of vertical piers, columns and straight and stretched deck, that is to say, the combination of vertical lines and horizontal lines is the most basic composition feature of the beam bridge. This combination of horizontal and vertical lines seems a bit too simple, but it is not, but it contains rich mechanical principles and psychological factors, which is the beautiful feature of the beam bridge.

From the straight line itself, a straight line is the shortest connecting line between two points. Although it lacks variety and decoration, it is simple and lively, but it contains the advantages of the most direct and fastest transfer efforts. From the perspective of spatial composition, the combination form of straight lines is the most clear and definite. Then, the beam bridge is mainly composed of straight lines. Although, like most bridges, this bank and the other bank are connected in a straight line on the plane, they are different from arch bridges and cable bridges. From the elevation, the whole bridge is also a flat horizontal line, while the arch bridge is generally an upward convex arc, while the cable bridge is opposite to the arch bridge and is in an arc with a drooping middle. They are not straight lines. Because the most fundamental purpose of the bridge is to connect the two banks of the river, as the most standard form of flat roads in the air, a horizontal beam bridge connects the two banks of the river in the shortest distance, allowing vehicles and pedestrians to cross the bridge in the shortest time, and because it is a horizontal line, it can make the bridge builder in the most labor-saving state. Therefore, this point is attracting the general attention of bridge scientists, and this advantage is extended to other bridge types, so that all kinds of bridge decks are as horizontal as possible. This not only improves the transportation capacity and service life of the bridge, but also makes the modern bridge more colorful.

The mechanical characteristics of lines are closely related to their aesthetic characteristics. The firmness and strength of a straight line, although lacking in aesthetic feeling due to lack of change, has another kind of beauty. As far as the columns and piers of beam bridges are concerned, lines with vertical lines as the basic characteristics are not as soft and elegant as curves; But their strength makes them have sharp aesthetic significance.

The construction of arch bridges, especially stone arch bridges, has won a reputation for China's ancient architecture, which is still valued by the world civil engineering community. Due to the maturity and progress of technology, the number of stone arch bridges accounts for half of the ancient bridges in China. The reason why the stone arch bridge has such an important position in the history of Chinese bridge construction is of course its outstanding realization in practical function, but the curvaceous beauty of the arch bridge is also a factor that cannot be ignored. Although the building materials of arch bridges are stone, brick, bamboo and wood, stone arch bridges are the most common. Wooden arch bridge has played an important role in the transition from beam bridge to arch bridge. This is the whole process of bridge structure from cantilever beam bridge to complete arch bridge through stoplog arch bridge; Structurally, it is the transformation from bridge to arch bridge. From the modeling point of view, these bridges have different characteristics, but they all show the development trend of transforming from the basic form of straight lines to the overall composition of curves.

Cantilever beam bridges were first built of wood. By using the length of wood, they are placed horizontally and vertically on the abutment, facing one side of the river layer by layer. The length of the wood used is longer than the length of the layer, and the part selected from each stack is closer to the center of the river. When the abutments on both banks are close to each other, put short beams on them. From the characteristics of modeling, although each row of wood itself can be regarded as a relatively standardized straight line, its overall outline is different from that of a general beam bridge. It forms a relatively wide arc in the overall assembly of parts selected step by step. Of course, this change of external form is only superficial, because the gravity transfer mode inside the bridge has been shown as an arc-shaped dotted line through the intersection of local straight lines. Of course, the short beam is still a straight line, but because it is relatively short, it cannot dominate the whole bridge. Therefore, it can be said that the structural feature of cantilever beam bridge is the transformation and transition from straight line to curve, and it is the arc transformation of inverted trapezoidal contour formed in the process of picking out wood from realistic straight line. Although this arc is still imaginary, it represents a new development trend of bridge modeling.

The curve is the most important modeling element of a real stone arch bridge. Curves are considered as the most beautiful lines in visual aesthetics. It is not as strong as a straight line, but it is more varied than a straight line. It can show the vitality and dynamic potential of things and has high vividness. Therefore, the curve of stone arch bridge is full of flowing beauty. It is particularly worth pointing out that each arch bridge is often a combination of several curves, and most successful works show beautiful spatial forms with harmonious curve groups. The most striking of these lines is the arch coupon and the curve of the bridge deck. Because the abutment of stone arch bridge is generally strong and can bear the thrust of stone arch, it needs the abutment to extend into the water to varying degrees, and the joint between bridge deck and embankment is always closer to the shore than the outer edge of abutment. In this way, as the connection of two abutments, no matter how small the curvature of the arch ticket is, it is better than the connection on both sides. The length of the bridge deck curve, that is, the bridge deck curve is always longer than the arch coupon curve. In this way, two similar (both curves) but different (different radians and lengths) lines are combined into a group of composite lines, which are different in unity and present unity in diversity, with both overall harmony and individual vividness. This makes the basic shape of the stone arch bridge really pleasing to the eye as a whole.

Third, rich humanistic accumulation.

Bridge construction is a creative activity in which different forms of social practice are integrated and infiltrated. Science and technology enable bridge construction activities to be carried out under the premise of controlling objective laws, and "building according to the laws of beauty" is the only way for human beings to show their wisdom, strength, emotion and imagination. Therefore, architectural activities will inevitably sublimate into artistic creation. It is in this context that bridge architecture not only embodies its artistic taste through the aesthetic pursuit of overall modeling, but also pays attention to the aesthetic treatment of details, so that people can get the perfect external image as much as possible. In addition, in the aspects of bridge decoration, environmental beautification and bridge name marking, people also use various artistic means to make the bridge reach a perfect state.

Sculpture may be the most important way to beautify the image of the bridge by artistic means. Sculpture modeling method has the best chance to show its talents in bridge construction. The circular carving takes three-dimensional space as the medium, which can adapt to the characteristics of bridge space, and is very suitable for bridge components such as watchtowers, drum stones and bridge heads. Relief is very useful in slab entities, such as railings and keystones. The vivid image and exquisite craftsmanship make this bridge not only approachable, but also give people beautiful enjoyment. Practical requirements and spiritual pleasure are highly unified here.

Ancient bridges in China often take auspicious animals and plants as sculpture prototypes. The most common ones are dragons and lions. Dragons in Zhao Zhouqiao are famous for their bridge sculptures, which are not only numerous, but also in the form of railings, watchtowers and keystones. No wonder people praised Zhao Zhouqiao as "the green water in the green Yuhuan and the steed in the Black Dragon Palace". His sculpture art attainments are very high, and he has always been praised by Chinese and foreign people. Lions in Lugou Bridge are also outstanding in bridge sculpture, and their quantity and skills can be said to be outstanding among ancient stone bridges in China. Another stone lion sculpture is Baisha Bridge in Xin 'anjiang Town, Jiande, Zhejiang Province. There are 260 stone lions with different postures on the sentry box of the bridge fence, which are vivid and finely carved, comparable to Lugou Bridge. What's more worth mentioning is that there are a pair of lions at the bridge. The 2-meter-high lion is magnificent, lively and lovely, and looks like welcoming people with a smile, adding a magnificent style and warm atmosphere to the whole bridge.

Decorating the bridge with dragons and lions was originally for the purpose of "inexhaustible", that is, to let these powerful beasts hold the monsters in the aquarium for people, and Shi Ling was entrusted with good wishes. Later, this idea was gradually diluted by the development of science and technology, and the majestic image of stone carving made it easier for people to have a special affection for the bridge they built. Vivid art also helps to change the simple and hard appearance of technical products and improve the overall aesthetic value of bridges. Therefore, although the bridge sculpture with the theme of god beast has long since withdrawn from the historical stage of witchcraft etiquette in social progress, it has gradually transformed into an important role in bridge decoration art and continues to maintain a strong vitality. This situation is particularly prominent in ancient stone bridges built by hand.

Chinese Bridge also uses language art to improve its cultural level, mainly including inscriptions and inscriptions. The former is to express people's thoughts and feelings about the bridge with great expressive force of language, which plays a role in expanding the influence of the bridge in social life and expanding the breadth and depth of the artistic content of the bridge; The latter often reviews the process of bridge construction, praises meritorious personnel, describes the new look of the bridge and introduces benefits, which is not only of high historical value, but also a vivid record of human transformation of nature, which can make people know more about the history of the bridge and the achievements of the builders. The beauty of literature, such as the refinement and clarity of inscriptions, has become an organic part of bridge art.

Unlike western bridge names, which pay more attention to science, China's bridge names generally don't use the mileage sign directly, and don't use the ordinal number of a bridge on a certain road as the bridge name. Instead, they use poetic language to gain a catchy reputation. This is because China people attach great importance to the naming of things, and the old saying that "a name is not justified" is deeply rooted in people's hearts. Moreover, as a poetry country, there is a Chinese character culture that can be used independently, flexibly combined and rich in connotation. Therefore, the title of Chinese Bridge is always full of rich literary flavor and contains profound cultural implications.

In terms of bridge name technology, ordinary bridges often use land names as bridge names, such as the names of villages, rivers and roads, such as Yangjiaqiao, Qiantang River Bridge and Dongmen Road and Bridge. And some excellent bridge names are determined by specific artistic techniques. These technologies are roughly as follows:

The first is to eulogize the function of the bridge, focusing on the accessibility of the bridge, eulogizing this construction project that overcomes the water flow. Therefore, the names of Tongji, Tongzhou, Anji, DuDu and Deng Ying all consist of a verb and a noun representing the water area. This verb-object structure shows that human beings have gained the initiative to dominate this water area through their own practice, and the bridge is the material embodiment of this achievement. The name of this bridge usually consists of two words. Although the text is concise and clear, the philosophy contained in it is profound and profound. This understanding of people's essential strength can play a great role in appreciating their own creative achievements and further boosting morale, so people are willing to adopt it.

The second is to praise the image of the bridge. Through the volume, long distance, strange and magnificent shape and materials of this artificial creation, on the basis of revealing its material characteristics, we can achieve the purpose of cheering for people's actions. This technique is similar to the first one, that is, looking back at the significance of human practice with the achievements of bridge building, but there are also differences. The first begins with the praise of the bridge function, and the second begins with the description of the bridge image. The former emphasizes content, while the latter emphasizes form. In language art, the former is more standardized and the latter is more flexible. As long as we grasp the image characteristics of the bridge, we can use a word title, such as "Hongqiao", "Long Bridge", "Flower Bridge", "Painting Bridge" and "Golden Bridge" and so on. You can also use two words, such as Honghongqiao, Wannian Bridge (meaning durable), baodai bridge, Wan Li Bridge, and so on.

The third is to record interesting stories related to the bridge, so as to arouse people's interest in the bridge and achieve the purpose of expanding its social influence. Some of these bridge names are related to the deeds of building bridges, and they are praise for people and things who have made contributions. For example, the "Ji Ma Bridge" in Xiaogan, Hubei Province is said to have been built by ordinary women living in this area and donated income from Ji Ma. "Lovers Bridge" is a bamboo cable bridge in guanxian, Sichuan. In the Qing Dynasty, He Xiande began to build this bridge, but he died before it was completed. His wife inherited her husband's will and finally built the bridge. Gejing Bridge in Pingle, Guizhou Province was donated by Ge Jing, a rich gentleman, during the Wanli period of Ming Dynasty. "After repeated water decisions, the three constructions have been completed, and it is a huge sum of money. It is known that the family wealth is exhausted." People named the bridge after him, which is the best commemoration for him.

Fourth, expressing thoughts and feelings, naming bridges with feelings and blending bridges with feelings are often more poetic. For example, the Baqiao Bridge in An is also called "ecstasy bridge", which means that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, people sent guests to the bridge, and the feeling of parting came to their hearts, as if they were ecstasy. The name of the bridge expresses the profundity of special feelings and can be said to be unique. There is a "broken bridge" in Hangzhou West Lake. Some people say it's because of the sound change of Duanjiaqiao. I don't think so. Because in China culture, calling a bridge a "broken bridge" is taboo, and people will not treat this bridge in such a mischievous way. More likely, influenced by the dramatic plot of White Snake and Xu Xian in the folklore, the word "broken" is used to lament the tragic situation that "husband and wife are birds in the same forest, but they have to fly separately when disaster strikes" and express their moody mood. This is probably the creation of frustrated literati. Although it violates the general rules of bridge problems, it occasionally goes astray and wins by surprise.

Language art also enriches the spiritual connotation of bridge construction through bridge inscriptions. This kind of inscription is often a concise narrative prose, which mostly includes the origin of the bridge, the construction and completion time, the major difficulties encountered in the middle and their solutions, the officials who presided over the project and the meritorious personnel who invested more, as well as the magnificent scene after the completion of the bridge and the actual effect of benefiting the society. Inscription is the original document of bridge construction history and the record of human social practice of transforming nature. Therefore, although there are words of praise and joy, most of them praise the achievements of bridge builders with a more real attitude and serious words. The following is the Story of Wan 'an Bridge written by Cai Xiang, the magistrate of Quanzhou in the Song Dynasty, which can be said to be a masterpiece of bridge inscriptions. Because of the short space, the full text is copied here to see its characteristics in language art, text structure and noble personality of the author. The full text is as follows:

Quanzhou Wan 'an Crossing Stone Bridge was built in April of the fifth year of Emperor Yangdi in Gengyin, and completed in December of the fourth year of Jiayou. The address is Yuyuan Garden, No.47 Zhashui Road. The beam is empty. It is 2600 feet long and 5 feet wide. Wings are equally divided by handrails. Mo Qian14 million. Looking for the giver, crossing the ocean. Being an apprentice on a boat is easy to be dangerous, and people are not good. There are five people out of ten, including Lu, Fu, Tu, Yi Bo and He. It was salty, so Cai Xiang, the magistrate of Puyang, drank it happily. Next autumn, I will be called back to Beijing, and the reason comes out. I was left on the shore because of what I did.

This passage is concise, practical and realistic, without grandstanding. The materials are informative, all the things to remember are recorded, the figures are conclusive and specific, and the process is clearly explained. As the main decision-maker and leader of the project, it is commendable that he never talks about his personal achievements. Although this narrative prose is brief, it can make passers-by understand the historical process of bridge construction, provide more comprehensive background materials for the appreciation of bridge images, and help people grasp the aesthetic implication of bridges more deeply.

Combined with language art, it also plays an irreplaceable role in bridge beautification, which is a unique calligraphy art in China. Calligraphy art is the crystallization of China traditional culture. It uses specific writing tools to express specific emotions through smooth and elegant lines, dense structure and changes in the shade of pen and ink. This is an artistic style based on the technical beauty of calligraphy, with the meaning of form as the carrier and sublimated from the practicality of writing. It creates another level of font image beauty by writing meaningful words. Bridges in China should not only have beautiful names and brief introductions to express themselves, but also be carved on stones, or such carved stones should be built on the bridge, or the bridge head should be erected for people to read. This first requires a high-level calligrapher to write exquisite calligraphy works, and then a stonemason can be invited to carve them.

From the simple analysis of the artistic factors in the above-mentioned bridges, we can find that the pure ideological art is complementary to the architectural art with practical and utilitarian content. Both the practical function of material and the conscious function of spirit make Chinese bridges an important cultural landscape, in which artistic factors directly become an integral part of bridge aesthetics.

To sum up, the ancient bridge is not only a great crystallization of China culture, but also an important part of the world cultural treasure house. It contains the Chinese nation's ability to explore the mysteries of nature, embodies the endless innovative spirit of our ancestors, embodies profound humanistic connotation, and shows great creative achievements in science and technology, social life, literature and art, etc. Because of its high cultural value, it is a precious world cultural heritage, so it must be scientifically protected and passed on. The author firmly believes that the ancient bridge in China is fully qualified to apply for the World Cultural Heritage List, and the realization of this reasonable wish should be just around the corner.