The Mystery of China’s Ancient Lugou Bridge 🌉🐉

Ajouté : 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]If you look closely at the structure of the Lugu Bridge, you will see thick wooden pillars underneath. Despite the soft soil here, these pillars do not collapse at all even under the pressure of thousands of tons of weight. This is because the friction of the soil holds them firmly in place. Hunch. In engineering terms, this is known as a pile foundation. However, the ground beneath the various pillars of a bridge does not settle uniformly. Therefore, as a precaution, a layer of stones is first laid on the ground. Then iron pillars are driven into it and secured firmly.

[00:00:30]The joints are fastened with iron bolts so that the entire foundation settles together and uniformly. This involves securing the stone with iron pillars and locking it in place with nails. To prevent the stones from shifting due to the water current, they are braced on both sides with larger stones. This is how the entire foundation is prepared.

[00:00:45]The bridge peers are constructed by stacking stones layer by layer. However, there is a problem with this. In winter, the river freezes and chunks of ice collide with the peers and get stuck which can cause the river to jam. To address this, a V-shaped pointed structure with a triangular iron plate at the tip is installed in front of the pillars. This protects the pillars from ice pressure and cuts the ice into smaller pieces. It is known as the dragon slaying sword. Once the pillars are ready, wooden supports are provided for the construction of the Rh arch.

[00:01:15]Inverted trapezoidal sloped bricks are placed on top as bricks of this shape interlock firmly to form a perfect arch.

[00:01:21]And this arch is the most effective at bearing weight. Even if the wooden supports are removed now, the bridge will not collapse. After this, the bridgeg's surface is carefully prepared.

[00:01:31]First, a layer of stones is laid and secured with iron spikes. Then, smooth stones are laid, making the bridge beautiful and comfortable to walk across. For safety, railings are installed on both sides. Additionally, hundreds of stone lions are carved onto the bridge, each in a unique pose. It is interesting to see people crossing the bridge, counting these lions.

[00:01:51]Congratulations, you have arrived at the Lugu Bridge, one of the four great ancient bridges of China. This 11 arched stone bridge was constructed by building the arches first, followed by the pillars.