The Five-Pavilion Bridge, also known as the Lotus Bridge and by other names, is a

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

stone

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

footbridge in the

Slender West Lake Slender West Lake, also known by its Chinese name Shouxihu and by other names, is a scenic lake in Hanjiang District in central Yangzhou, China. The lake developed from the city moats of Tang-era Yangzhou. During the Qing dynasty, its ba ...

National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Hanjiang District, Yangzhou Hanjiang District is one of the three District of China, districts of Yangzhou, Jiangsu provinces of China, Province, in eastern China. It is one of the two districts (along with Guangling District) that divide the prefecture's urban area, urbani ...

, in

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, China. It is one of the Four Bridges in Misty Rain, one of the 24 Views of Yangzhou under the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, and has become a landmark of the city.

Names

The bridge is called the "Five-Pavilion Bridge". Its alternative name, "Lotus Bridge" or "Lotus Blossom Bridge", is a translation of the bridge's original Chinese name, either named for the Lotus Blossom Dyke that the bridge connects to on its southern side or for a supposed resemblance of its pavilions to the petals of a

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...

History

The bridge was constructed in 1757. (

Qianlong The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned ...

22), connecting the residences on the north bank of the lake to the back of the Temple of the Lotus Mind to the south. Its construction was funded by local

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

merchants to welcome the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

of the

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

during his second southern tour of

Jiangnan Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu ...

. The bridge self-consciously mirrored the Five Dragon Pavilions in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, combining with the earlier White Dagoba at the Lianxing Temple to emulate the capital's

Beihai Park Beihai Park is a public park and former imperial garden immediately northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. First built in the 12th century, Beihai is among the largest of all surviving Chinese gardens and contains numerous histo ...

. Although representative of a Qing style of covered bridges variously known as "corridor bridges", "rain and wind bridges", and "pavilion bridges", it was still listed by the famed Chinese

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research List of structural elements, structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of ...

Mao Yisheng Dr. Mao Yisheng a.k.a. Thomson Eason Mao (; January 9, 1896 – November 12, 1989) was a Chinese structural engineer and social activist. He was one of the most famous Chinese structural engineers, a pioneer in bridge construction, and a social ...

as China's "most elegant and artistic bridge". The bridge was greatly damaged during fighting between the Taiping and Qing armies over the course of 1853, with the pavilions entirely destroyed. They were subsequently repaired by the end of the Qing, but only three of the five pavilions remained standing in 1929. The bridge was later renovated in 1933, 19511953, 1956, and 1982.. As the "Lotus Bridge", the Five-Pavilion Bridge was inscribed along with the nearby White Dagoba as the 533rd

Major Cultural Heritage Site under National-Level Protection A national priority protected site is the highest-level national protection for immovable cultural relics in China. The designation was first created under the 1961 Provisional Regulations on the Protection and Management of Cultural Relics, whic ...

added during the 6th round of nominations on 25 May 2006.

Structure

The bridge is long. It rests on 12

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

bases of various sizes, supporting 15

es in three styles. The largest arch has a span of . The largest central

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

is connected to the four smaller pavilions at each corner by covered walkways. The present pavilions rise on scarlet pillars and are covered with imperial yellow tiles.

References

Citations

Bibliography