But, however unwilling, Chinese literature had not been abl withhold entirely all information from the past days of bridge building, for even the character signifying "bridge" when analyzed. shows it'to be a lofty construction wood, Thus it is deduced that the wooden bridge was the only one known te the original Chinese ric:
the elegant stone arches finch admired by all of us, must have stolen into these parts from foreign sources, The charact algo shows us that the builders di] not confine themselves to. spanain: s Small ditches rince. the construc tions could be described as large, main arch of th very heavy, and the whole struc-
A Chinese, who jumped—overture is built together with mortar] board from the French mer so as to form one unit, which is Song Bo at Green Island recently many times stronger sary for the load taken: than neces was picked up by a Hongkong Police whereat launch, On being taken the the Chinese arch is a tiny stone shell To ded with loose fill between two pate pet walls ree police station, he explained that he had been on be: ard to sce a friend off and did not notice that n the arch—a much more cconom:- the vessel had left port until it cal and therefore a more ingenious was too late. had no desire to of the Western to Namhoi, to which port. the elmore, continued yesso] was bound, and being one of the usual] strong swimmer and seeing the rehes on top of police Munch at a distance, he Jcach other such ay is found in old took the leap in hupa that nan structures, had to his know might be picked up He had been ever been found among the in the water a quar cer of an hour older structures of China. when reseed Te is fairly certain, said the speaker, that timber bridges as sell ax pontoon bridges were employed Guring the Chow dynasty, (112 255 H.C.) in China and tome be lieve that the arch idea was already Known to the first builders of the Great' Wall in 220 B.C.
First Records of Arches With the rise of the glorious Han dynasty, (206 B.G-212 A.D.) China enjoyed a really prosperous period for a time, and her merchants penetrated as far Inudia, Persia, and the Eastern Roman provinces. It was from the time of this dynasty that the first records of arch bridge originate, when a large bridge of this type of 68 spans, 1,000 feet long, was built over the Wei River. Many attribute this appearance of the arched constructions to the influence of the Romans, stories and statistics of the buildings being brought back by the Chinese merchants who travelled and were greatly im. pressed by what they saw. But it this same dynasty that Bridge at the Summer Palace.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.