Yonghe Bridge, Henan, Yonghe Bridge

Yonghe Bridge, a scenic spot in Anyang, Henan Province, also known as Yongding Bridge, is located in Yonghe Village, 20 kilometers east of Anyang, the old road of Huan River. Key cultural relics protection units in Henan Province. The bridge is an arch stone bridge with a total length of 39.5 meters, a width of 6.8 meters and an exposed height of 8 meters. Three bridge tickets, beautifully carved. In the middle of the big ticket, there is a huge faucet carved. Under the glare, the dragon must stand upright, holding a flame orb in each claw, which is vivid. Carve dragons on both sides and ride clouds, flying horses take off, lions roar and cows jump and sheep jump. The two coupons are carved with dragon head and tiger king in the middle, and creeping weed leaves on both sides. The bridge fence consists of stone fence board, watchcolumn and drum-holding stone. Historical stories and various flowers are embossed on the railings, and lions and peaches are carved on the watchposts, showing the trend of jumping lions and catching peaches. The stone carvings of this bridge are of high artistic value. Yonghe Bridge was founded in the Sui Dynasty. "The History of the Old Five Dynasties Liang Taizu Ancestral" contains: "Wei Jun was stationed in Neihuang, Chen Bing, and the emperor fought with him, from Neihuang to Yongding Bridge." "Provincial Records" says: "Yonghe Bridge is 40 miles east of Fucheng, that is, this bridge. Yongding County was changed to Yonghe in the Song Dynasty, so the bridge was renamed ". It shows that the original name of the bridge was Yongding Bridge in Yongding County, and it was changed to Yonghe in Song Dynasty, and the bridge was also changed to Yonghe Bridge. "Zhang De County Records of Jiajing" contains: "In the sixth year of Hongzhi in Ming Dynasty (1493), the magistrate Bao Kai rebuilt East Yonghe Bridge." Yonghe is a plain, and more than 1,000 cubic meters of Shi Quan on the bridge was transported from Xishan, a hundred miles away. The construction of this bridge is arduous. It has been used for more than 400 years, fully demonstrating the superb bridge-building skills of ancient craftsmen. The arc length of Yonghe Bridge is slightly shorter than that of Zhao Zhouqiao, and it is the first bridge in the Central Plains. Due to the age, the bridge deck has been polished and smooth. There are two rut marks in the middle. The depth of the rut is 8 cm, the width is 13 cm, and the distance between the two ruts is 1.27 m, which is of great significance for studying the evolution of ancient chariots and horses.