The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 303 The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge spans ancient and modern times
Su Chen couldn't help but feel proud when he saw that ancient people from all dynasties were shocked by the magnificent Three Gorges Dam.

A century-old project like the Three Gorges Dam is a great feat in the world and has shocked even later generations, not to mention the ancients of all dynasties and generations.

China is known as the world's largest infrastructure country. It has built not only the Three Gorges Dam but also other projects that have shocked the world.

Before the emotional fluctuations in the hearts of the ancients from various dynasties calmed down, Su Chen played the video of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for everyone to watch.

Seeing the endless bridge spanning the endless ocean, the hearts of ancient people from all dynasties were greatly shocked.

"In October 2018, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was officially opened to traffic."

"A 55-kilometer-long steel bridge spans the vast sea, historically connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau."

"This Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge can be called the most technically complex project of the century in the history of China's transportation construction."

"The 42 tons of steel used in the bridge is enough to build 60 Eiffel Towers."

"Every particle of the 108 million cubic meters of concrete used can be traced."

"In the early 20s, the land transportation channels between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland were continuously improved."

He couldn't help but sigh that Zhaozhou Bridge has experienced hardships and hardships, and has experienced countless wars and hardships.

"More than 2 construction workers worked hard for nearly 3000 days and nights to make this world's super project visible to the world."

"However, the transportation links between Hong Kong and the west bank of the Pearl River Delta are still subject to considerable restrictions due to the obstruction of Lingding Ocean."

There are two small arched bridge holes on the left and right sides of the top of the bridge.

"The submarine immersed tunnel, which includes reclamation of more than 3,000 acres and the establishment of artificial islands, is incredible even to foreign bridge experts."

The bridge is more than fifty meters long and nine meters wide, with carriages and horses passing in the middle and people walking on both sides.

Zhaozhou Bridge is very majestic and is entirely made of stone.

Having seen the high-speed rail and the Three Gorges Dam, he has already been shocked by the infrastructure projects of later generations.

The Zhaozhou Bridge is famous because it is extremely strong and has survived heavy rains and floods.

"It has greatly promoted the economic development of Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao and shortened transportation time, creating a one-hour economic circle between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao."

"The construction difficulty of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge can be regarded as the pinnacle of the world's bridge history, and almost all bridge engineering problems are reflected in it."

Human wisdom and bridge-building technology can be so exquisite because Li Chun condensed the crystallization of the hard work and skills of his ancestors, so that he could build the first bridge in the world.

"The completion and opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge not only marks China's transformation from a bridge country to a bridge power, but also means that the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has entered the fast lane."

An important reason why Zhaozhou Bridge is known as the best bridge in the world is the location of Zhaozhou Bridge.

"The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is like a giant steel dragon lying on the blue waves of the Pearl River Estuary, closely connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao."

"As a major engineering and technical achievement, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has set multiple world records."

"The construction method used is to put them on piece by piece like building blocks."

Both are the best bridges in the world, but there are huge differences between Zhaozhou Bridge and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

During the construction of the Zhaozhou Bridge, hard blue-gray sandstone produced in nearby counties was used as the stone material. It adopted the form of a circular arc arch to reduce the height of the stone arch and achieve the dual purposes of a low bridge deck and a long span.

"Looking back at the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the preliminary work coordination group office was established in 2004."

The abutment of Zhaozhou Bridge is built directly on natural sand and gravel, and on this basis, the abutment is built with five layers of stone strips.

But then I thought about it. In later generations, even the Three Gorges Dam can be built, and it is not surprising that the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge across the sea can be built.

"In order to build this bridge, our country has overcome more than a dozen world-wide technical problems."

"When viewed from a high altitude, it looks like a winding dragon on the sea, which is extremely spectacular and shocking."

Zhaozhou Bridge occupies an important position in the history of bridge building in China and has a profound impact on future generations of bridge construction.

But after leaving behind thousands of achievements and years, Zhaozhou Bridge still lives here.

"But if we count from the initial planning and construction, the time span has been 35 years."

"The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge adopts the architectural form of a trinity of island, bridge and tunnel. The bridge body is 55 kilometers long and 33 meters wide. The construction cost is 1269 billion, with an average of 23 billion per kilometer."

"It took 2009 years to start construction in 2018 and then to be fully completed and open to traffic in 14."

Li Chun chose the base site of the Zhaozhou Bridge in a place with coarse sand because using coarse sand as the foundation can increase the load-bearing strength of the bridge and ensure the stability of the bridge.

Normally, the river flows through the bridge holes. When there is a flood, the river water can still flow through the four small bridge holes.

There are no bridge piers below, only an arched bridge hole, spanning the river more than 37 meters wide.

He originally thought that he would not be shocked if he saw any super-projects again, but he was still deeply shocked by the majesty of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

"It is the longest and most difficult cross-sea bridge in the world that was independently designed and constructed by my country."

Zhaozhou Bridge, which is famous for its long history, beautiful shape and solid structure, can be regarded as a treasure in the world.

The Zhaozhou Bridge, known as the best bridge in the world, was built by skilled craftsmen led by Li Chun, a craftsman from the Sui Dynasty.

"The bridge is a two-way six-lane expressway with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour."

Li Shimin: The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is the best bridge in the world in later generations, and the Zhaozhou Bridge is the best bridge in the world in this era.

"In 1983, a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong took the lead in proposing the construction of a cross-sea bridge connecting Hong Kong and Zhuhai, which was the Lingdingyang Bridge, the predecessor of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge."

"The breakthroughs and applications of these technologies demonstrate the progress of China's science and technology and allow China's infrastructure to gain a firm foothold in the world."

"But due to various reasons, the plans were shelved."

"By the late 20s, in response to the impact of the Asian financial crisis."

"Hong Kong believes that it is necessary to build a cross-sea channel connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao as soon as possible to leverage the advantages of Hong Kong and Macao and find new economic growth points."

"In 2003, the central government officially approved the establishment of a preliminary work coordination group for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao to comprehensively carry out various preliminary work."

"After five years of planning, design, and demonstration, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has finally determined its route."

"Hong Kong's Lantau Island crosses the Pearl River Estuary via Tai O, and finally divides into a Y shape."

"One end connects to Zhuhai and the other end connects to Macau."

"The total length is 55 kilometers, the main project of the undersea bridge and tunnel is 35.578 kilometers long, and the undersea tunnel is about 6.75 kilometers long."

"In December 2009, construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge officially started."

"This is the first large-scale cross-sea transportation project jointly constructed by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the framework of one country, two systems."

Su Shi: When it comes to cross-sea bridges, the Luoyang Bridge in the Song Dynasty is the first cross-sea bridge in China and has the reputation of being the first bridge in the country.

Although the Luoyang Bridge is not as impressive as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, it at least has the title of the first cross-sea bridge.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, people on both sides of the Luoyang River in Quanzhou could only travel between the two sides by ferry at the river mouth.

Where the river and the sea meet, the river is wide and the water is deep, and the tides are wild and fast, making it very dangerous.

But there is no way, the Luoyang River is the only place that people must pass when traveling to and from the southeast coast.

Every spring and summer, when the water rises and the tide is high, boats crossing the river capsize often, and countless people are killed in the river.

Later, the prefect of Quanzhou took charge of the Luoyang Bridge construction project.

It took six years to build this large stone bridge across the river and the sea.

After completion, the Luoyang Bridge will not only be an official road connecting Fuzhou and Quanzhou, but also the most important transportation artery in the area.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Quanzhou's overseas trade was booming, and the construction of Luoyang Bridge further promoted trade.

Other cross-sea bridges were also built one after another. Fleets of sailing ships loaded with porcelain set out from Luoyang Bridge, and foreign passenger ships across the oceans also stopped here.

There is a saying in the bridge industry that Zhaozhou is in the north and Luoyang is in the south.

In addition to benefiting the people, the preciousness of Luoyang Bridge is also its bridge-building skills.

It can be said that Luoyang Bridge has the highest technological content among all famous bridges and is the master of bridge-building technology in this era.

Being able to build a cross-sea beam-style stone bridge over more than one kilometer of water is commendable.

The construction of Luoyang Bridge opened up the natural moat of the Luoyang River, made the local area prosperous, and gave full play to the function of Luoyang Bridge.

"The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge consists of three navigation bridges, an undersea tunnel, four artificial islands, connecting bridges and tunnels, and land connection lines between Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macao."

"This structural system integrating bridge, island and tunnel is unique to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge."

"Between the two artificial islands on the east and west, the 6.75-kilometer-long submarine immersed tube tunnel consists of 33 sections of immersed tubes and a final joint. This is also the most difficult part of the bridge construction process."

“In order to simultaneously meet the needs of the passage of 30-ton giant ships, the flight height limit of Hong Kong International Airport, and control of the water resistance of the Pearl River, the immersed tube tunnel must be buried under more than 20 meters of seabed silt.”

“In previous cases, traditional immersed tube tunnels were buried shallowly.” “There are no standards to refer to for such 20-meter-deep construction operations, which troubled the design team for half a year.”

“After days of refining plans and organizing model tests, the design team came up with innovative concepts that structurally solved the problem of deeply buried immersed tubes.”

“从2013年5月首节沉管开始浮运安装，到2017年5月最终接头安装，沉管隧道的建设花了整整4年的时间。”

"Because the sediment on the seabed foundation varies in softness and hardness, the immersed tubes will break due to different settlements when installed. The construction team of the bridge has also developed a compacted sand pile composite foundation design method."

"This method controls the overall settlement of the entire submarine foundation trench within 10 centimeters and the differential settlement within 1 centimeter, creating a watertight construction miracle for the offshore immersed tube tunnel."

"Because of its high construction difficulty, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is known as one of the seven wonders of the modern world and has set many world records."

"With a total length of 55 kilometers, it is the longest cross-sea bridge in the world."

"The submarine immersed tube tunnel has a total length of 6.75 kilometers and is the longest submarine immersed tube tunnel in the world."

"The undersea tunnel is 48 meters deepest, making it the world's deepest immersed tunnel."

"The overall design concept of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge includes strategic, innovative, functional, safety, environmental protection, cultural and landscape aspects."

"The main bridges are three long-span steel structure cable-stayed bridges, each of which has a unique artistic conception."

Zhu Di: Although the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing is not as majestic as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, its role is not much worse than that of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Marco Polo Bridge is the most famous stone coupled arch bridge in Beijing and the longest span stone bridge in North China.

In terms of practicality, Marco Polo Ferry has been an important road for north-south transportation in the world since ancient times. The construction of Marco Polo Bridge made this natural moat instantly accessible.

In terms of ornamental value, it has been since the day when Marco Polo Bridge was born.

This stone bridge, set against the sparse stars and the bright moon, has become one of the eight famous scenic spots in Yanjing.

On the only road from Beijing to the Central Plains, there is a large river blocking this road. This is the Marco Polo River.

However, the Lugou River rushes through the canyon between the branches of the Taihang Mountains and the Yanshan Mountains.

Due to the rapid flow and large amount of sediment in the upper reaches, it is easy to cause siltation of the river channel after entering the Beijing Plain, causing the river to flood.

As the mother river of Beijing, the Lugou River not only has a loving side, but also a wild side.

During the flood season, the Lugou River's unbridled flow brings endless floods.

It is precisely because of this that the Marco Polo Bridge was built to make the natural moat accessible.

Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Lugou River Ferry has become an important transportation thoroughfare and a battleground for military strategists in Beijing.

But at that time, the transportation volume of people and materials was not large, and people could cross the river by ferry, or by pontoon or wooden bridge.

However, after the Jin Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, its ruling area extended southward to the Huaihe River Basin.

This ferry has become the only way for southern provinces to enter Beijing and an important gateway to Beijing. Therefore, we must consider building a spacious and strong bridge over the Marco Polo River.

Therefore, this matter was put on the important agenda.

Since the matter was serious, it was naturally decided by the emperor, the famous Jin Shizong in history.

Jin Shizong was the fifth emperor of the Jin Dynasty. He was an outstanding emperor in the history of the Jin Dynasty. During his reign, he put people's livelihood first in everything he did.

Under the governance of Jin Shizong, the Jin Dynasty quickly entered its heyday.

The construction of Marco Polo Bridge at this time can be regarded as a flourishing move of the Jin Dynasty.

It's a pity that people left before the matter was completed. Jin Shizong issued an order to build a stone bridge and died soon after.

Jin Zhangzong, who came to the throne, followed the imperial decree and built the Marco Polo Bridge three years later.

Jin Zhangzong is the grandson of Jin Shizong. He was born in a prosperous age and highly respected Confucianism and Han civilization.

Jin Zhangzong was the most sinicized monarch among the emperors of the Jin Dynasty, and he was also the monarch with the highest level of calligraphy and painting art.

In Jin Zhangzong's view, Marco Polo Bridge cannot just be practical; it must also be a work of art.

So there was a white stone bridge with continuous arches, pillars and railings, and lotus leaf piers.

The finishing touch are the stone lions with different looks carved on the pillars.

Since people from the Western Regions paid tribute to lions during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the lion quickly became an auspicious animal in Chinese culture, the embodiment of wisdom and strength, and was regarded as the patron saint of the descendants of Yan and Huang.

And this connotation is the reason for carving lions on Marco Polo Bridge.

In order to turn the Marco Polo Bridge into an exquisite work of art, Jin Zhangzong had 281 stone lions carved on the 500 pillars of the Marco Polo Bridge.

Moreover, these stone lions are of different genders, different sizes, different postures, and different expressions, and they are never the same.

"The shape of the Qingzhou Channel Bridge absorbs the cultural elements of the Chinese knot and transforms the original right-angled and straight-line shape into a curve, making the bridge tower slim, agile, delicate and elegant."

"The shape of the river-sea direct ship channel bridge is taken from the elements of the white dolphin, and is combined with the marine culture of the dolphin sanctuary."

"The shape of the Jiuzhou Channel Bridge is taken from a sail, which means sailing, and forms a good effect with the tower of the river-sea direct ship channel."

"The overall shape of the bridge tower is beautiful, friendly and has a strong landmark charm."

"The east and west artificial islands draw on the elements of oyster shells, which means that Hengqin Island in Zhuhai is rich in oyster shells."

“The overall design of the Hong Kong Port is innovative, beautiful and energy-efficient.”

"The Passenger Inspection Building adopts a wavy canopy design. The pillars of the building are tree-shaped, with a conical shape below and a branch-like spread above."

"The toll station closest to Zhuhai City is designed in an arc shape, with a steel column in front and several steel cables behind it, like a huge anchor."

"The height difference between the above-water and underwater parts of the bridge is nearly 100 meters, with both horizontal curves and vertical heights."

"The whole thing is as slender and light as a ribbon, stringing together multiple nodes, creating a perfect connection."

"In addition, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge pioneered a 120-year service life, breaking the century-old practice of domestic bridges."

"At the same time, it can also withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, a magnitude 16 typhoon, a 30-ton impact, and a flood that occurs once in 300 years in the Pearl River Estuary."

"In April 2024, the inbound and outbound traffic volume of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will exceed 4 million vehicles."

"Painting on the lonely ocean, threading a needle deep in the sea."

"The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge embodies the sweat and wisdom of all bridge builders, and will also witness the rapid development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area."

"The completion and opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a milestone and marks China's transformation from a big bridge country to a powerful bridge country."

"The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge embodies the blood of countless workers, who are not afraid of hardships and dangers and bravely climb to the top."

"We have overcome one technical problem after another and created one engineering miracle after another."

Zhu Yuanzhang: There are four famous bridges in the world, Zhaozhou Bridge, Luoyang Bridge, Marco Polo Bridge and Guangji Bridge.

Speaking of Guangji Bridge, he thought of many folk myths and legends, the most famous of which was the bridge built by immortals and Buddhas.

It is said that after Han Yu was demoted to Chaozhou as governor, he often visited Dongshan Gate, but he deeply felt the pain of crossing the river.

So Han Yu asked his nephew Han Xiangzi and monk Guangji to build the bridge together.

Han Xiangzi and other Eight Immortals undertook the construction of the East Bridge, and monk Guangji of Kaiyuan Temple undertook the construction of the West Bridge.

Han Xiangzi built a bridge on the east side and asked the Eight Immortals to help.

Han Xiangzi went to Fenghuang Mountain to get stones, turned the stones into black pigs, and came all the way.

But when the last group of pigs arrived in Fengnan, they were discovered by a pregnant woman, who screamed loudly how the stone could walk.

One sentence revealed the secret, and the stone could no longer move. Therefore, the last few blocks on the east side that Han Xiangzi was responsible for were not built.

Monk Guangji built a section of bridge in the southwest, so he invited the Eighteen Arhats to help.

Monk Guangji went to Sangpu Mountain to get stones, turned them into black sheep and came all the way.

But when the last group of black sheep arrived halfway, they encountered a local bully landowner who wanted to seize the sheep.

The bully landlord argued with Monk Guangji that it was his sheep. Monk Guangji was impatient with the entanglement and drove the sheep to the bully landlord's field.

When the sheep rushed to the bully landlord's field, they turned into mountains of black rocks and crushed the landlord's fertile farmland.

Therefore, the last batch of black pigs and black sheep did not arrive in time, and the middle section of the bridge could not be repaired.

Among the Eight Immortals, He Xiangu had no choice but to throw the lotus petals in her hand into the middle of the river, which immediately turned into eighteen shuttle boats.

Monk Guangji threw down his Zen staff and turned it into a big vine, which tied up eighteen large boats and turned it into a pontoon.

The world commemorates the merits of immortals and Buddhas working together to build bridges, and this is how the Guangji Bridge came to be.

(End of this chapter)