In Dujia Village, Xinglong Town, Yubei District stands a special arch bridge, Guanyin Bridge, which is 21 meters long, 3 meters wide and is made of 716 pieces of bamboo.

Shao Changzhuan, student of Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Guanyin Bridge.

The village once was isolated from the outside world by a creek. In 2017, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Architecture Ph.D. student Shao Changzhuan led a team to build the bamboo bridge here.

Villagers are happy because they do not need to worry about their safety anymore when crossing the creek. The bridge also becomes the recreational center of Dujia Village, where people can enjoy the cool in summer. Additionally, a parent-children amusement park is going to be built nearby.

Guanyin Bridge.

“Generally, people think bamboo is not strong enough to be used as a construction material.” After countless tests, the team was convinced that a piece of 10-centimeter bamboo can sustain 15-ton pressure. “In other words, four pieces of bamboo can withstand a truck filled with soil, which might weigh 55 tons.”

“Bamboo is actually a useful construction material. Processed bamboo is environmentally-friendly, durable and pollution-free, similar to woods.” Shao said he would continue promoting the utilization of bamboo in the construction industry, which is expected to help farmers raise income.

Guanyin Bridge was awarded the Jury’s Award of Sustainability Achievement of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards China 2019.

Source: Shangyou News