Zhaozhou Bridge (Anji Bridge)

The Oldest Surviving Open Spandrel Stone Arch Bridge In The World, Completed About 605 · Shijiazhuang, Hebei

The oldest surviving open-spandrel stone arch bridge in the world, built across the Xiaohe River in Hebei around the year 605 by the Sui-dynasty mason Li Chun, and still standing after fourteen centuries of floods, earthquakes and war. Its single segmental arch spans more than thirty-seven metres yet rises barely seven, a flat curve that was extraordinarily bold for its time, and the four smaller arches pierced through the spandrels at each end are the innovation that made it famous: they lighten the structure, save material and let floodwater pass through rather than pushing against the bridge. European engineers did not build anything comparable for another seven hundred years. The stonework carries carved dragons, sea beasts and a balustrade of lotus motifs, some original and some replaced during restorations, and legend credits its construction to the immortal Lu Ban, with hoof and knee prints in the stone left by a donkey-riding god who tested it. The bridge sits in a quiet park with a small museum, an easy stop between Beijing and Shijiazhuang.

Anji Bridge Park, Zhaoxian County, Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China

Daily, with hours given variously as 8:30-19:30 or 8:00-17:30, extended on holidays (check); free entry with an advance real-name booking.

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