What bridge cultures are there in Wuzhen?

Most of the ancient bridges in Wuzhen are stone bridges, which not only have a long history and rich cultural connotations, but also have various types, beautiful shapes and different styles. There are simple shiping bridge, simple stone arch bridge and exquisite masonry bridge, among which stone arch bridge is the majority. Stone arch bridge originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Because the main load-bearing components of the arch bridge are curved, it was also called curved bridge in ancient times. Curved arches are semicircular, arc-shaped, egg-shaped and horseshoe-shaped. The arch of Wuzhen Stone Arch Bridge is mostly semicircular and arc.

On some stone bridges, there are antique pavilions, such as Duyu Bridge on the west side of Zhaoming Academy, which was built to shelter from the wind and rain. There is a beautiful guardrail by the bridge for tourists to rest against the railing and watch the water features. Many bridges are carved with exquisite patterns on the doorposts and railings, such as lotus patterns, six reincarnation patterns and swastika patterns. These patterns are not only beautiful, but also contain the religious customs of the people in the ancient town and their good wishes for good luck and peace.

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Nantangqiao

Located at the western end of Zhaxi Street, it crosses the Xishi River and runs in a north-south direction. It is connected to Bailian Street in the north, the Water Theatre in the south and Renji Bridge across the river. Nantang Bridge is a five-hole flat bridge with a total length of 28.2 meters. The bridge is connected with long stones to form a bridge fence. The ears on the north and south sides of the bridge are engraved with patterns such as lotus flowers, swastikas and Taoist Tai Chi, symbolizing good luck.

The center of the bridge deck is engraved with the pattern of "six divisions of the wheel of karma" "Samsara" is a Buddhist term, also known as "samsara of life and death" and "samsara", which means mass.