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The Jade Belt Bridge (), also known as the ''Camel's Back Bridge'', is an 18th-century pedestrian
File:'Bridge in Summer Palace, Peking' by Charles W. Bartlett, HMA 28113.JPG, Drawing by
The Jade Belt Bridge (), also known as the ''Camel's Back Bridge'', is an 18th-century pedestrian moon bridge
A moon bridge (月桥), also known as “''sori-bashi"'' (反り橋) in Japanese, or as a drum bridge (“taiko-bashi” 太鼓橋),Liu, Yan (2020-09-01). "A full moon in another land: The Moon Bridge in the Japanese garden of the Huntington Libra ...
located on the grounds of the Summer Palace
The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarter ...
in Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 2 ...
, China. It is famous for its distinctive tall thin single arch.
The Jade Belt Bridge is the most well-known of the six bridges on the western shore of Kunming Lake
Kunming Lake (Chinese: , p ''Kūnmíng Hú'') is the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Together with the Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake forms the key landscape features of the Summer Palace gardens.
W ...
. It was erected in the years 1750, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
, and was built in the style of the delicate bridges in the country-side of southern China. It is made from marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
and other white stone. The ornate bridge railings are decorated with carvings of cranes and other animals. The clearance of the arch was chosen to accommodate the dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of ...
of the Qianlong Emperor. As the Kunming Lake inlet to the neighboring Yu River, and when during special occasions, the emperors and empress and their dragon boat would specifically pass under this bridge. It is one of the most beautiful bridges in the Summer Palace
The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarter ...
. A similar arch bridge called Xiuyi Bridge is located on the southeast of Summer Palace.
Gallery
Charles W. Bartlett
Charles William Bartlett (1 June 186016 April 1940) was an English painter and printmaker who settled in Hawaii.
Biography
Bartlett studied metallurgy and worked in that field for several years. At age 23, he enrolled in the Royal Aca ...
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 137-022926, Park im Sommerpalast in Peking.jpg,
File:Jade Belt Bridge.jpg, circa 1879
File:Marble bridge in Summer Palace.jpg, between circa 1900 and circa 1903
File:Thomas Child, Jade Belt Bridge.jpg, between 1870 and 1889
File:Kameelbrücke.jpg, before or in 1902
File:Marble Bridge in Summer Palace.jpg, before 1906
File:Jade Belt Bridge & Boat, Summer Palace, Peking, China (c1924) Sidney D. Gamble (RESTORED) (4079128019).jpg, circa 1924
Legacy
The modern scholar Wang Chaosheng proposed that some degraded writing on the back of a stele was actually a poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor, dated to 1755, referencing the Jade Belt Bridge of the Pictures of Tilling and Weaving that were in the originalSummer Palace
The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarter ...
, then known as the Gardens of Clear Ripples (). To the west of Jade Belt Bridge - the Pictures of Tilling and Weaving The silk clouds of the weavers and the rain of the plowing farmers study the methods of Wu. The water and weather (of north and south) are pretty much the same, Food and clothing share the same source so all must work with diligence.
See also
*Precious Belt Bridge
The Precious Belt Bridge () or Baodai Bridge is a stone arch bridge near Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. The Precious Belt Bridge is located at the intersection of the Grand Canal and Tantai Lake, about 2.5 kilometer south east of Suzhou.
...
* Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture ( Chinese:中國建築) is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and it has influenced architecture throughout Eastern Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, th ...
* Architecture of the Song Dynasty
* 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 ...
* Ponte della Maddalena
Ponte della Maddalena is a bridge crossing the Serchio river near the town of Borgo a Mozzano in the Italian province of Lucca. It's one of numerous medieval bridges known as ''Ponte del Diavolo'', the " Bridge of the Devil", it was a vital rive ...
References