The Free Life Bridge () is a historic stone
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
over the Cao Port in
Zhujiajiao
Zhujiajiao (; Shanghainese: ''Chukakoq'') is an ancient town located in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. The population of Zhujiajiao is 60,000.
Zhujiajiao is a water town on the outskirts of Shanghai, and was established about 1,700 years ago. ...
,
Qingpu District
Qingpu District, is a suburban district of Shanghai Municipality. Lake Dianshan is located in Qingpu.
The population of Qingpu was counted at 1,081,000 people in the 2010 Census. It has an area of .
Qingpu District is the westernmost dis ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
.
History
The bridge was originally built in 1571 with funds collected by monk Xingchao () from Cimen Temple (). In the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
and Qing dynasties (1368–1911), local monks would hold a ceremony on the bridge, releasing live fish into the port. It had been on the list of "The Ten Views of Zhujiajiao". It was rebuilt in 1812, in the ruling of
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...
(1796–1820) of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
(1644–1911).
On November 17, 1987, it has been designated as a municipal level cultural heritage by the
Shanghai Municipal Government
The Politics of Shanghai is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the last few decades the city has produced many of the country's eventu ...
.
Architecture
long and wide, it is the largest stone bridge in Shanghai. It is of five-arch type. The bridge has a gentle slope as it adopts ultra-thin piers and arches with modest size changes, spanning naturally across the river, which looks majestic but not bulky. The stone carvings on the bridge are exquisite.
Film Culture and Manga
* ''
Mission: Impossible III''
* ''
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. The ninth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise, ''Gundam SEED'' takes place in a future calendar era, in this case the Cosmic Era. In this era, mankind has devel ...
'' in Shanghai.
Lacus Clyne
is a fictional character introduced in the Japanese science fiction anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' and appearing in the sequel ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny'', both part of the Gundam franchise by Sunrise. In the start o ...
standing Free life Bridge waiting to meet X 108 Freedom Gundam Piloted by:
Kira Yamato
is a fictional character first introduced as the protagonist from the 2002 Japanese anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'', which was produced by Sunrise as part of the ''Gundam'' franchise. In the series, Kira is a first-generatio ...
.
See also
*
List of bridges in China
This list of bridges in China includes notable bridges. China has a long history in bridge construction. The oldest bridge still in existence in China is the Anji Bridge, constructed during the years between 595 and 605.
During the infrastructu ...
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Life Bridge
Bridges in Shanghai
Arch bridges in China
Bridges completed in 1812
Qing dynasty architecture
Buildings and structures completed in 1812
1812 establishments in China