Nine-turn bridge explained

The Nine-turn bridge or Zigzag bridge is one of the features of Chinese Gardens, where the bridge is designed to turn several times, so one can enjoy viewing different scenes. The bridge is usually made of stones or concrete with decorated guard rails, and the angles of the turns can be at right angles, at any other angle or curved.

The Nine-turn bridge is typically found in Chinese Gardens that were made during the Song Dynasty.^[1]

Gardens where the Nine-turn bridges are found

The nine-turn bridge is found in many Chinese Gardens worldwide, or lakes and ponds, natural or man-made.

• Yu Garden, Shanghai, China
• West Lake, Hangzhou - Quyuanfenghe (曲院風荷) ^[2]
• Geyuan Garden, Hangzhou
• Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Lingering Garden, Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden, etc.

• Huizhou West Lake (惠州西湖), Huizhou
• Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, Macao
• Chengcing Lake, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
• Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
• Dahu Park, Taipei
• Bihu Park, Taipei
• Honmoku Municipal Park (本牧市民公園), Yokohama, Japan - Shanghai-Yokohama Friendship Garden
• Gifu Park, Gifu City - Sino-Japanese Friendship Park
• National Arboretum, Washington, D.C., U.S. - Chinese Garden (under construction): a replica of Geyuan Garden ^[3]
• Luisenpark, Mannheim, Germany - Chinese Garden

Zigzag bridge in Japanese Garden

Zigzag bridges are sometimes found in Japanese Gardens, but they are usually a simple wooden bridge without guard rails.

See also

• Architecture of the Chinese Garden
• Japanese Garden

Notes and References

1. Web site: 九曲橋写真 - Google Search. google.co.jp. 2018-04-07.
2. Web site: 『杭州の西湖十景・曲院風荷』杭州(中国)の旅行記・ブログ by 中国の風景さん【フォートラベル】 – The Ten Scenes of West Lake - Quyuanfenghe (2014) . 4travel.jp. 2018-04-07.
3. News: China wants a bold presence in Washington – so it's building a $100 million garden. The Washington Post. 2017. 2018-04-07.