Luoyang Bridge
» Quanzhou, Fu Jian

洛阳桥

Wan'an Bridge

Luoyang Bridge, China's earliest stone beam bridge built in the seaport, spans the Luoyang River from south to north in the southern suburb of Quanzhou. It is a monumental work in the history of Chinese bridge construction and one of the state-level culture heritage protection units. Luoyang Bridge, Lugou Bridge (Beijing), Zhaozhou Bridge (Shijiazhuang) and Guangji Bridge (Chaozhou) are renowned as the four famous ancient bridges in China.

Luoyang Bridge was built from 1053 and was completed in 1059. The project of building the bridge was led by Cai Xiang, the governor of Quanzhou who was also one of the four famous calligraphers in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). In ancient times, Luoyang Bridge was called Wan'an Bridge. Wan'an means being perfectly safe in Chinese. Near the bridge was a ferry terminal. When there was bad weather, local people could not be ferried safely to their destination. The locals prayed to cross the river safely so they called the terminal the Wan'an Ferry Terminal, hence the bridge's name Wan'an.

Built from light grey granite, the bridge resembles a silver dragon lying above the green water. The bridge features ship-like piers and a unique method of oyster consolidation. The ship-like piers could easily cut the rapid current in the river. Thousands of oysters were bred around the footstones and piers so that their secretions would act as kind of cement. This was the world's first example of the use of biology in bridge building and shows the great wisdom of the ancient Chinese people.

It was originally 1200 meters in length, 5 meters in width, with 46 bridge piers. Since it was built, the Luoyang Bridge has been restored many times. At present, it is about 731 meters (2,398 feet) long, 5 meters (16 feet) wide and 7 meters (22 feet) high. It has 645 railings, 104 stone lions, 44 ship-like piers, 7 pagodas and 1 pavilion. With a height of 12 meters (39 feet), the statue of Cai Xiang stands at one end of the bridge. On both sides of the bridge there are delicately carved stone lions and warrior guards.

To the north of the bridge lies the Zhaohui Memorial Hall where people worship the Dragon King who protects the bridge in the sea. To the south of the bridge stands the Cai Xiang Memorial Temple which displays a famous tablet engraved with the notes related to the building of the Wan'an Bridge written by Cai Xiang.

Attractions around » Quanzhou, Fu Jian

Natural Scene

Natural Scene

Historical Site

Historical Site

Historical Relic

Historical Relic

Built from light grey granite, the bridge resembles a silver dragon lying above the Luoyang River from south to north in the southern suburb of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. The bridge features ship-like piers and a unique method of oyster consolidation.



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