Longteng Bridge

Longteng Bridge
龍騰橋

Longteng Bridge c. 1910

Longteng Bridge c. 1910
Coordinates 24°21′30.4″N 120°46′25.8″E / 24.358444°N 120.773833°E / 24.358444; 120.773833Coordinates: 24°21′30.4″N 120°46′25.8″E / 24.358444°N 120.773833°E / 24.358444; 120.773833
Carries Railroad
Crosses (三叉河; Sānchā hé)
Locale Longteng Village, Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan
Official name 魚藤坪斷橋
Owner Taiwan Railway Administration
Characteristics
Design Masonry arch (approach) and truss (span)
Material Brick (arch) and Steel (truss)
Number of spans 9
History
Designer 長稻垣兵太郎
Engineering design by
Construction begin 1 May 1906[2]
Construction end 30 January 1907[2]
Collapsed 21 April 1935
(during 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake)[2]
Longteng Bridge
Location of Longteng Bridge in Taiwan

The Longteng Bridge (Chinese: 龍騰橋; pinyin: Lóngténg Qiáo; literally: "Dragon Bridge", officially known as the Yutengping Bridge, 魚藤坪斷橋; Yúténgpíng Duàn Qiáo; "Fish-Poisoning Shrub Bridge") is a former bridge in Longteng Village Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan.[3]

History

Longteng Bridge pier remains in 1998, with replacement 1938 iron bridge behind

The bridge was built in 1906 during the Japanese colonial period. It was designed by the American civil engineers Theodore Cooper and C.C. Schneider for the Japanese colonial government. The bridge was named after a local plant (魚藤; Yúténg) believed to be poisonous to fish; legends believed that a malevolent carp in a nearby lake was responsible for misfortune, and residents planted the shrub to counter the carp.[4] The original design consists of a central steel truss flanked by multiple brick masonry arch approaches.

Longteng Bridge pier remains

The April 1935 Hsinchu-Taichung earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in July damaged the bridge beyond repair. Several masonry arches were cracked and the north and south ends of the truss became misaligned. A new iron bridge was built in 1938, 80 meters to the west of Longteng Bridge, and the central truss was dismantled once the new bridge opened.[2]

The 1999 921 earthquake caused one of the remaining piers to collapse and as a result, the county government decided to rededicate the bridge's remains as a monument to the two deadliest earthquakes in Taiwan's history. It was placed on the list of Taiwan's Cultural Heritage Assets (Historical Site #KA09602001112) on 25 November 2003.[2]

Architecture

1938 Longteng Bridge

The 1938 bridge stands at 50 meters tall and 200 meters long, making it the highest iron bridge in Taiwan.

The ruined 1907 bridge piers are covered with white Tung flowers (桐花; tóng huā, Vernicia fordii) every year from April to May, marking the height of its popularity as a tourist and hiking destination.

Transportation

The bridge is accessible by taxi south from Sanyi Station of Taiwan Railways Administration.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Longteng Broken Bridge.

References

Notes

  1. Griggs Jr., Frank (January 2011). "Great Achievements: Charles Conrad Schneider" (PDF). STRUCTURE: 44–45. Retrieved 21 March 2015. In 1903 he, along with Theodore Cooper, was appointed by the Government of Japan to develop sets of plans for Japanese railroad bridges.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 魚藤坪斷橋 [Yutengping Bridge]. Taiwan Bureau of Cultural Heritage (in Chinese). 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  3. "Miaoli County: Longteng Bridge". TravelKing. 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. "Remains of Longteng Bridge in Sanyi". Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan). 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.

External links


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