| Maple
Bridge (1st constructed between the 6th-9th c.)
other
sites in Suzhou |
Suzhou, China |
Click on an image to enlarge
Hanshan Temple was built to the west of Suzhou where three canals intersect; one being the famous Grand Canal. At this junction, there is a bridge called the Maple Bridge (Fengqiao), which dates back at least to the Tang dynasty, as there is a well-known poem by the Tang poet, Zhang Ji, entitled, “Mooring to the Maple Bridge at Night”. On Chinese New Years Eve, people gather at the bridge to hear the bells of Hanshan Temple, as described in the poem. Apparently there was a lively town at this site during the Tang dynasty with active markets for the goods that were shipped up and down the canals.
Next to the bridge is a guard
tower called the Tieling Pass, which was built during the Ming dynasty
during an invasion of the lower Yangtze River by the Japanese.
| Bibliography
All images copyright 2001 Professor
Kerk L. Phillips of Brigham Young University, Utah, USA.
Boyd, Andrew. Chinese
Architecture and Town Planning: 1500 B.C. - A.D. 1911
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~hangying/suzhou/suzhou.html http://www.travelchinaguide.com http://www.maplebridge.sz.js.cn/english/zhuye.htm |
Above: sketch map drawn by Tim Ciccone. Below: context map by Kerk Phillips  |