How many amazing bridges do you know that rock the world?

A bridge is a link between human beings. It turns what might otherwise be an inaccessible continent into a thoroughfare and pushes human civilization to a new level. It has facilitated the communication between people and the circulation of goods. It has greatly improved the economic, cultural, political, and social life of human beings. Without bridges, human beings could only live in an information-closed environment and become frogs at the bottom of the well. As you can see, the role of bridges is undoubtedly huge. However, the role of bridges is not only to exchange needed commodities with the world, but also because they carry different cultural connotations in different places, so they come in many different shapes. Today, Tao Tao will take you to see this astounding bridge.

The Divine Immortal Residence in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China, as you can tell from its name, is home to an immortal mountain and a pavilion that only the gods are qualified to live in. Li Bai sleeps and sings every day, not to mention the dreamscape of the immortal residence. Besides the clear forest springs, majestic waterfalls, quiet valleys, deep and mysterious caves, strange rocks, and lofty and magnificent peaks, there is also the Ruyi Bridge, a unique bridge full of Chinese poetry and painting rhythms. This bridge, which officially opened in October 2020, has attracted many tourists to hit the bridge and become a new popular attraction in Xianju.

The Ruyi Bridge is about 100 meters long, with a vertical height of more than 140 meters from the bottom of the canyon. It spans the east-west canyon of Xianju. Its bridge is composed of three wavy curves and is divided into two levels: upper and lower. The upper part is an upward arching wave curve made of solid wood, softening the cold and hardness of reinforced concrete, and the lower part is two parallel glass bridge decks with a glass trestle running through the middle. The bridge is light, novel, and unique, the overall style rigid and flexible, and nature as one. From a distance, it looks like a jade handle suspended in the air as if it is giving a blessing. There are blessings all along the street, and all goes well. When the smoke lock bridge, walking on the bridge, is like walking on the clouds, swimming immortals, surrounded by a thousand peaks, overlooking the scenery under the cliff from the Ruyi Bridge. The weather ripples are a spectacle that only exists in the sky.

While there are only a few other original bridges in the world, the Falkirk Wheel Bridge, located in England, has amazed the world and has been called one of the greatest projects of the 21st century. The bridge is essentially a boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union Canal. Hearing this, you may think that the bridge is bland, just connecting two canals, not much different from an ordinary bridge. Why can it be regarded as one of the greatest projects of the 21st century? The two canals are not far apart, but there is a height difference of 24 meters, which is about 8 stories high. It is not easy to connect the two canals, but the benefits of the connection are innumerable. It saves time for ships to go around the distance, shortens the running distance, and increases the speed.

The British government spent 14 million pounds for this purpose and it was officially opened in 2002. The Kirkwheel Bridge is 35 meters high, the most powerful of which is the 15-meter-long rotatable boom. When a ship travels between two canals, it must first enter the water tank in the boom. After the water tank is closed, ten pumps on the bridge will start and the boom rotates half a turn, perfectly transforming from high water to low water and from low water to high water. The boom can transport four boats at a time, taking only 15 minutes. The best part is that the water tanks on both sides of the Falkirk wheel bridge are symmetrically distributed, and the weight of the tanks on both sides is about the same, so the transportation does not consume much energy.

Although humans cannot walk on the water, they can enjoy the carefree feeling of floating on the water with the power of the pontoon. Lions View in Enshi, Hubei Province, China has the most beautiful pontoon bridge known as the Big Story West. This pontoon bridge is about 500 meters long and 45 meters wide and is built along a winding river. It spans across the water and is breathtaking. It is a paradise for many photographers and self-driving enthusiasts. When a car passes over the bridge, it undulates with the lake and ripples beautifully, reflecting the surrounding scenery. It is very pleasant as if you have mistakenly entered the secret world. However, drivers who are not bold enough may be nervous. The experience of floating on the water may give the illusion of falling into the lake at any time. Many tourists and couples like to take pictures or wedding photos here. Wearing elegant cheongsam or Chinese costume or holy wedding dress, the people and scenery are natural and the picture is vivid, as if traveling through time and space. Therefore, this bridge is also known as the heritage dream of a corridor bridge.

People who are always on the road have become numb to the hectic pace of the city and are always busy speeding up. Rushing to drive with no intention of seeing the scenery along the way, but this circular bridge can save tired and numb people. The Laguna Garcon Bridge, located on the southern coast of Uruguay, is a section of Federal Highway 10 and is a must-see for coastal resorts. This loop bridge spans the lake, with a new view of the lake painted by the ring in the middle, creating a visual effect of a lake within a lake. The scenery on both sides of the lake is water and sky, and there is a pedestrian passage on it. Not only cars can pass, but also people can walk leisurely on it. Such scenery can certainly relieve people's fatigue, enjoy the lake and mountains in the downtown area, and let the mood settle down.

Isn't it confusing to watch cars drive over the bridge then sink into the water and suddenly appear again? This is a Dutch waterway bridge that subverts our general imagination of bridges. Most bridges are built over water, even if they are meant to be, but the Dutch Waterway Bridge is the only bridge in the world that sinks in the water and over the sea because the sea seems to split the bridge in half. This bridge is also called the broken bridge. The part in the middle covered by seawater is an underwater tunnel for boats and vehicles to travel at the same time. Because of the wide coverage of Dutch waters and the many ships coming and going, this bridge allows ships to pass unimpeded over the water, which is a good solution to the problem of ship congestion. Then cars drive freely in the tunnel under the water, as if they are pulled away from reality for a moment, and can have a short carnival in the alien space isolated by the underwater tunnel. So many cars drive very fast when they pass through here.