Baodai Bridge

Baodai Bridge, also known as Changqiao, is a bridge located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. It lies horizontally between the Grand Canal and Dantai Lake, at the mouth of the Daidai River, parallel to the ancient canal. It is one of the top ten ancient bridges in China and the longest multi-arched stone bridge among the existing ancient bridges in China. It is the longest and best-preserved large ancient continuous arch stone bridge in China. Baodai Bridge was first built in the eleventh year of the Yuanhe period of the Tang Dynasty (816 AD); in the fourteenth year of the Yuanhe period of the Tang Dynasty (819 AD), Baodai Bridge was completed and put into use; in the eleventh year of the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty (1446 AD), Baodai Bridge was rebuilt, and its form and scale have largely been preserved to this day; in the second year of the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1863 AD), the British army under Gordon attacked Suzhou, causing Baodai Bridge to collapse continuously; in 1956, Baodai Bridge was repaired and restored to its original appearance. Baodai Bridge is located in the Chengnan Street area of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, at the intersection of Dongfang Avenue and Wudong Road. It starts from the Grand Canal, crosses the Daidai River waterway, and ends at Dantai Lake. The bridge is 316.8 meters long and 4.1 meters wide, with 53 bridge arches. In addition to its long historical background, Baodai Bridge also carries many legendary stories. The most popular one is the legend of the 'divine turtle offering stone' during the bridge's construction. It is said that during the construction of Baodai Bridge, the project was in trouble due to its large scale and a shortage of stone materials. One day, a giant divine turtle suddenly appeared at the construction site, carrying a huge stone on its back. The craftsmen believed this was a gift from the gods and used the stone to build the bridge. From then on, the project progressed smoothly, and the magnificent stone arch bridge was finally completed. Walking on the bridge today, one can still feel the aura of the divine turtle's spirit and the wisdom of the ancients blending together.