Suzhou is surrounded by a dense network of rivers inside and outside the city. With numerous bridges, a developed transportation network is formed inside and outside the ancient city. With the changes of history, rivers, streets and lanes have been built and abandoned, and bridges have been built or abandoned. The changes are very complicated. The number of bridges in the city, according to the "Pingjiang Map" of the Song Dynasty, was 314. The water system in the city did not change much during the Ming Dynasty, but the total length and number of rivers increased compared with the Song Dynasty, with 329 bridges. During the Qing Dynasty, some of the rivers in the city were filled up, and many of the ancient bridges were abandoned. However, new ones were also built from time to time. According to the "Comprehensive Map of Su City" in the late Qing Dynasty, there were 311 bridges in the city. During the Republic of China, a number of rivers were filled up in the city, and a number of ancient bridges were abandoned. At the same time, a small number of new bridges were built. In the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Construction drew the "Wuxian City Side Map", which showed that there were 261 bridges in the city. After liberation, a number of rivers were filled up and a number of ancient bridges were demolished. By 1985, there were 161 bridges in the ancient city. Since the 1980s, as the understanding of the importance of protecting the ancient city of Suzhou has gradually deepened, the protection of the ancient city has been paid more and more attention, the protection efforts have been continuously increased, and the bridges in the ancient city have also been well maintained and repaired.
The carriers or expressions of Suzhou's water culture include direct expressions such as ancient rivers, ancient bridges, and water lanes, as well as indirect expressions such as couplets, inscriptions, poems, and songs about ancient bridges. Comprehensive analysis of these forms of expression can reveal the profound cultural connotation of Suzhou Ancient Bridge.
1. It has a long history and has experienced many hardships. The history of Suzhou's water can only be traced back to 2,500 years ago. In fact, the history of Suzhou's water is undoubtedly longer than the history of Suzhou City. However, there was no systematic and detailed record of Suzhou's water system before the city was founded. Wu Zixu built the city based on natural conditions and took advantage of the situation, instead of digging out a water network on the land. But the history of Suzhou water culture can be said to be synchronized with Suzhou city. Since Wu Zixu built the city, Suzhou's water culture has lasted for 2,500 years. Rivers have a long history, and bridges as coordinates of river networks are no exception. The ancient bridge has a long history, which can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, and to the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The Gao Bridge on the Xueshi River was built in the Han Dynasty, the Youle Bridge was built in Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period, and the bridges built in the Tang Dynasty have precise written records. There are Shiyan Bridge built by Bai Juyi, Xiahou Bridge built by Xiahou Sikong, and Baodai Bridge. The bridge was built with jade belts donated by Wang Zhongshu. The bridges in Suzhou mentioned in Tang poems include the Wuque Bridge with "red ribbons of sunset", the Oriole Square Bridge with "the orioles at the mouth of Oriole Alley want to talk", and the "Yangzhou Post in Suzhou, dreaming of the Huaqiao Water Pavilion". Flower bridge. In addition, the Maple Bridge in Zhang Ji's poems, Shouxing Bridge built in the Southern Song Dynasty, Miedu Bridge built in the early Yuan Dynasty, Xiajin Bridge and Pu'an Bridge built in the Ming Dynasty, Puji Bridge built in the Qing Dynasty, and Caiyun Bridge rebuilt during the Republic of China are still there today. These ancient bridges still stand on the Suzhou river. However, these ancient bridges, like the ancient rivers in Suzhou, have witnessed the history of Suzhou. They have also experienced wars, floods, natural weathering, and even man-made destruction. Most of the ancient bridges have been renovated after liberation. Connecting the Suzhou Planning Exhibition Hall and Xumen Park across the moat is the famous Wannian Bridge. It is also known as the "Three Tripods" of Suzhou bridges along with Baodai Bridge in the southern suburbs and Caiyun Bridge in Shantang. But the fate of the Wannian Bridge can be said to be bumpy: the bridge was built in the Song Dynasty; during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the entire bridge was dismantled and given to the corrupt official Yan Song; it was rebuilt in the fifth year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1740); the stone steps were removed in 1936 It was converted into a slope, and the bridge pavilion and archway were demolished. In 1952, the old bridge deck was demolished and renovated into a reinforced concrete beam bridge. In 2004, it was changed into a three-hole antique stone arch bridge, which became a scene around the ancient city.
2. Rich information and distinctive features. Old drawings such as the "Pingjiang Map" of the Song Dynasty, the "Suzhou Prefecture Water Channel General Map" of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Three Horizontal and Four Straight Maps of Suzhou County Rivers" in the second year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty are themselves indirect expressions of water culture, and a large amount of historical information can be interpreted from them. , including information on the historical evolution of urban rivers and bridges. For example: the materials of bridges in each period can reflect the development of productivity and handicraft industry at that time; through the analysis of the structure, shape and foundation of ancient bridges, the level of bridge building technology at that time can be obtained; through the analysis of the decorations of stone railings and pillars, Through analysis, we can get the totem beliefs at that time and so on. Suzhou's water culture has distinctive local characteristics and national style. Each bridge name has profound connotations and is very elegant, a pair of bridge couplets with exquisite pen and ink and rigorous composition, and each piece of carving with exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful knife skills are all... It shines with the wisdom and creativity of Suzhou people. Table 2-2 lists the naming rules of bridges in the ancient city, from which we can discover the rich cultural connotations of Suzhou’s ancient bridges.
3. Small bridges and flowing water, poetic and picturesque. Because there are many bridges along the river in Suzhou, the ancient bridges are beautiful in shape and blend into the river and the surrounding natural environment. Literati of the past dynasties often recited poems and lyrics for them, or walked across the bridge to reflect on the past, or leaned on the railing to reflect on the distant future, or used the bridge to express their emotions. There are many masterpieces handed down from generation to generation, such as "Night Mooring on the Maple Bridge" by Zhang Ji of the Tang Dynasty. Scholars from ancient times to the present There has been endless debate. Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty thought: "The sentence is good, just like the three o'clock is not the time to ring the clock." This kind of description and debate throughout the ages has had a great promotion effect on Suzhou, and the style of the water town has gradually changed from ancient to modern times. Known and world-famous.