What is a Pontoon Bridge?

It is China's first floating bridge.

Chaozhou Floating Bridge

There are two structural forms of the pontoon: traditional form. Girder on the boat or pontoon, paving the bridge deck. Combination of boat and beam. The boat (box) body, beam, and bridge deck are combined into one body, and the ship is connected in tandem, or the boat (box) body is closely arranged in a belt. Cable anchors are set up and down to keep the bridge axis stable. Trestle bridges or springboards are provided at both ends of the bridge to connect with the shore. In order to adapt to the fluctuation of the water level, a lifting trestle or a lifting dock should be set up on both sides of the strait.
Floating bridges can be said to be the ancestors of large bridges. It is a development of crossing the river by boat and a transition to the construction of fixed bridges, becoming a river crossing tool between the boat and the bridge.

The pontoon can be used for pedestrians, roads and railways. Its structure is not complicated and it is convenient to disassemble, but the maintenance cost is high. It can be used to respond to emergency disasters or as a temporary transportation facility in peacetime. It can be used to ensure that the army can quickly pass through river-type military bridges in wartime. In order to increase its mobility, it is usually made of light metal.

Chaozhou Floating Bridge is the Chaozhou Xiangzi Bridge, also known as Guangji Bridge. It is one of the four ancient bridges in China.

The four ancient bridges in China are Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei, Lugou Bridge in Beijing, Luoyang Bridge in Fujian, and Xiangzi Bridge in Guangdong.

Xiangzi Bridge is the Guangji Bridge. It lies beside the east gate of Chaozhou City.

With the change of history, Guangji Bridge has been built several times:

In 1958, the whole bridge was reinforced and repaired, and the eighteen shuttle ships were demolished and converted into three-hole steel trusses and two high-pile bearing-type bridges.

In 1976, it was expanded again.

In March 1988, Guangji Bridge was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit.