Tourist Attractions in Chengdu, Sichuan: Anlan Bridge

Anlan Bridge is located in front of the Erwang Temple at the foot of Yulei Mountain. It spans the watershed of the Inner River and the Outer River. It is a cable bridge.

Anlan Bridge is one of the five ancient bridges in my country, with a total length of 500 meters. Cable bridges originated earlier in western Sichuan. The specific year when the Anlan Cable Bridge was built has not been verified, but according to "Huayang Guozhi. Shu Zhi", it is recorded that Li Bing was "able to carry a hat". "Shui Jing Zhu. Rivers" records that "there is a Zuo Bridge on the Fujiang River", which proves that at least the construction of the Anlan Bridge will not be later than the construction of Dujiangyan. "箮" means bamboo rope, which is the main building material of ancient cable bridges in western Sichuan. Therefore, Anlan Cable Bridge is also called bamboo bridge, rope bridge, bamboo and rattan bridge, etc. In the Song Dynasty, it was renamed "Pingshi Bridge" and was destroyed by war in the late Ming Dynasty.

In the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1803), the private school teacher He Xiande and his wife raised funds everywhere to repair the Anlan Bridge, but the bridge funds were swallowed up by local officials. He Xiande angrily denounced its disadvantages and was killed. The people's resentment was like a rolling river, unstoppable, and they unanimously recommended his wife to continue the construction. The cable bridge was completed, with wooden planks as the bridge deck and handrails beside it. Pedestrians on both sides of the bank could safely cross the rough waves, so it was renamed "Anlan Bridge"; the people commemorated He's family. The couple is also called the "couple bridge".

Anlan Bridge is an important traffic thoroughfare connecting the inner and outer rivers. The original site of the Anlan Bridge was originally at Yuzui. In 1974, due to the construction of the Waijiang Water Gate, with the approval of the State Council, the cable bridge was moved down more than 100 meters and was built with steel cables instead. The cable bridge is one of the suspended transitional bridge forms created by the ancient Chinese people by using local bamboo and wood resources to conquer the mountains, canyons, and rapids. It is a model of cable bridge architecture in the world.

Looking from a distance, Anlan Bridge looks like a flying rainbow hanging in the sky, or like a fisherman drying his net, with a very unique form. Walking on the bridge, you can see the Minjiang River roaring through the mountains to the west, and the irrigation canals to the east. The overview and role of the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project can be seen clearly at a glance.