Discovery:Bridges over the Grand Canal

Discovery:Bridges over the Grand Canal

The abundant ancient bridges that cross over the Grand Canal were at one time considered the backbone of China. As time passed by, standing strong like royal guards, they have witnessed history and become “living”museums documenting the numerous changes and blending of cultures that has occurred alongside these waterways.

Huai'an Water Resources Project

Huai'an, the junction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, the main irrigation canal in North-Jiangsu province and the Huaihe River Channel Project, shows its importance alongside the Grand Canal. That's the reason why Huai'an Water Resource Project was initiated. With compound functions of flood discharge, irrigation, power generation and shipping, this project is now a key water control project on the Huaihe River. Besides this, its splendid and extraordinary complexity has made it a huge museum dedicated to water conservation.

淮安水利枢纽——亚洲最大“水路立交”

京杭运河与苏北灌溉总渠及淮河入海水道交汇处的水利枢纽管理处就位于淮安南郊淮安区。据介绍，具有泄洪、排涝、灌溉、南水北调、发电、航运等综合功能的淮安水利枢纽，是新中国治淮的骨干枢纽工程。管理处区内两平方公里的土地上，建有国内唯一的灯泡贯流式抽水发电机组、亚洲最大的上槽下洞式运河水上立交等20多座水工建筑，犹如一座水利工程博物馆。

Gongchen Bridge

Gongchen Bridge is 92m in length and 16m tall. It is the highest and longest stone arch bridge among the ancient bridges in Hangzhou. It was originally built in the Chongzhen period (1631) of the Ming Dynasty. Despite its age, the Gongchen Bridge still remains majestic and stands firm across Grand Canal.“Gong” literally means greeting, and “chen” means the emperor's palace. The majestic arched stone bridge was meant to welcome and show respect for visiting royalty and was a place to greet the emperor in ancient times.

拱宸桥

从坐落于杭州拱墅区运河畔的中国京杭大运河博物馆里出来，走过热闹的运河广场，就会看到大运河杭州段的标志遗存拱宸桥。桥长92米，高16米，是杭州最高最长的古石拱桥，始建于明崇祯（公元1631年）年间。在古代，“宸”是指帝王住的地方，“拱”即拱手，两手相合表示敬意。每当帝王南巡，这座高高的三孔石拱桥，象征对帝王的相迎和敬意。