Dan G

As the saying goes: "A trip to Guangdong is not complete if you did not visit Chaozhou, and a trip to Chaozhou is not complete if you missed Guangji Bridge", Guangji Bridge is a must-visit site for visitors to Chaozhou.

Why?
It is the first floating bridge in the world!

Guangji stone bridge was constructed in 1171 during the Song Dynasty and it had a nick name of "Xiangzi Bridge". With a history of more than 800 years, it was initially formed as a pontoon bridge 86 huge ships. After several times of construction and renovation, it became a uniquely structured bridge in 1513 during the Ming Dynasty, with 24 piers and 18 shuttle ships. The Bridge serves as a passage for pedestrians usually, and at scheduled occasion the connected shuttle-ships are open for other ships to pass. Guangji Bridge is an exceptional case in the Chinese bridge history as it combines the structure of a pontoon bridge, column bridge and arch bridge.

Here it is an album with this excelent piece of the Chinese history .
Pictures made on 9 Sep 2009.