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  7. By the ancient canal——Suzhou maple bridge

By the ancient canal——Suzhou maple bridge

Suzhou maple bridge

China Suzhou Maple Bridge, formerly known as bridge closure. It is located in Maple Bridge town, northwest of Suzhou City, about 10 miles from the city center, across the tributaries of the Grand Canal. Maple Bridge was built in the Tang Dynasty, it is inferred that at least 1200 years of history [The Maple Bridge bridge was rebuilt in the sixth year of tongzhi (1867). It is a cultural relic protection unit in Suzhou.]

Maple Bridge in Suzhou

What makes Maple Bridge famous is a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji, which is called “Night Mooring on Maple Bridge”: “the moon is setting and the frost is all over the sky, the river and maple are fishing and sleeping in sorrow; Hanshan Temple outside the city of Gusu, the bell rings at midnight to the passenger ship. ” The verses are simple and easy to understand. They have been almost well-known and well-known for thousands of years. At present, the maple leaf is red, and the name of the maple bridge is right.

Night Mooring on Maple Bridge

Maple Bridge is located at the entrance of the tributary of Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, where is the official road, where the north and South boats meet. In ancient times, the waterway was blocked at night, so it became an ideal resting place. Therefore, the bridge was named “bridge closure”. Later, it was renamed “Maple Bridge” because of Zhang Ji’s poem, and it has been followed up to now.

bridge closure

Suzhou, a famous water town in the south of the Yangtze River, has more than 300 bridges, among which Maple Bridge is the most recited by poets and poets. Therefore, Gao Qi (1336-1374), a poet of the Ming Dynasty, wrote with emotion in his poem of Maple Bridge: “the painting bridge reflects the river city three hundred times, in which Maple Bridge is famous alone; Several times after recalling Zhang Ji, Wu Ti, the moon falls and the bell rings.

Maple Bridge
Maple Bridge Suzhou

In April 1989, Suzhou Municipal People’s Government rebuilt the Maple Bridge monument.

Maple Bridge monument
Maple Bridge Zhang Ji's poem

There are countless poems about Maple Bridge by poets of all dynasties. These poems of different ages and styles undoubtedly make Maple Bridge more glorious, but the most outstanding one is Zhang Ji’s poem “Night Mooring on Maple Bridge”. This poem once had a stele in the east of Hanshan Temple. It was once regarded as the beautiful scenery of Hanshan Temple and was valued by the world. Unfortunately, it was revived and abandoned several times. In 1993, a new stele, 0.6 meters high and 1.1 meters wide, was recarved with white marble. It was written by an 84-year-old calligrapher, WA Weng, who won the first prize in the fourth national calligraphy competition. It was carved by Shi Zhongde, who is known as “the first knife of stele carving in Jiangnan”. Now it has become a new landscape.

Hanshan Temple
countless poems about Maple Bridge

Maple Bridge is a crescent-shaped single-hole stone arch bridge, 39.6 meters long, 7 meters high, 4.2 meters wide, and 10 meters long. In ancient times, travelers came and went along the Grand Canal to Suzhou.

Grand Canal to Suzhou

Stone pavilion — for passers-by to rest and shelter from the rain. The ancient guns nearby are the firearms used to fight against Japanese pirates in Ming Dynasty.

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