Sunday, May 5, 2024

Long Teng Broken Bridge for Sunday Best

 


There is an interesting story about the town of Longteng that is revealing of the superstitious beliefs that local people once held. When the first settlers started to cultivate land in the area, they believed that Liyu Lake, located nearby, was inhabited by a carp spirit which brought hardship to the people. In order to overcome this evil spirit they planted yuteng (a poisonous plant) in the Longteng Mountain area. At the same time they gave the mountain in the east the name Guandao Mountain (lit. Guan Sword Mountain) hoping that the Sword Mountain would cut the Yuteng Rattan. In this way, they hoped to poison the evil carp spirit. The ploy must have been effective, for people no longer believe that the evil carp spirit harms the people of Longteng. In the morning of April 24, 1935 a strong earthquake hit central Taiwan. lts epicenter was near Mt. Guandao, and many buildings in the Sanyi district were destroyed. A reminder of this earthquake remains in the ruins of the arched bridge over Long River. It can be seen from the railway line between Sanyi and Houli.

The ruins of Longteng Bridge join Chengxing (Shengxing) Station as one of the top-two visitor attractions on the Jiushan tour route. This historic span is notable attraction both for its simple beauty and as a memorial to the two major earthquakes that severed the bridge twice at the fifth northernmost pier, including damages caused by the 921 Earthquake in September 21, 1999.

Sony A7RV

FE 20-70mm f4 G


Linking Sunday Best


30 comments:

  1. ...nature is trying to reclaim the area.

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  2. Hello,
    I would say the same as Tom above, nature is taking back the space! Have a great day!

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  3. La destrucción tambien tienen su belleza y la naturaleza siempre hace su trabajo y remedia los efectos destructivos.

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  4. Beautiful photo and very interesting story.

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  5. So much lovely green growing ...
    Many thanks for sharing the story/information.

    All the best Jan

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  6. Thank you for this stunning photo - and some of its background.

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  7. What a reminder. And a very interesting story.

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  8. It appears nature is hard at work to return the materials into the earth. I like that the ruins were kept.

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  9. I am not amazed that the ruins have become an attraction but I am a bit amazed that the wreckage was left for Nature to reclaim it.

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  10. What is carp spirit and why is it evil?

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  11. Dat is een interessant verhaal en een prachtige foto

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  12. Interesting read, thank you. Nice shot of nature doing it's thing.

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  13. Very impressive! I'd really enjoy seeing more shots of this amazing combination of nature and the works of man.

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  14. Someone is having a little too much fun with the wide-angle lens. Interesting read though.

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  15. Impressive photo, if we let nature recover the lost ground.
    The story behind the photo is also interesting!

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  16. What a fascinating story. Yes, nature is working its magic!

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  17. Hermosa leyenda sobre ese habitante de ese lago, Y lo que vemos en la foto nos recuerda la fuerza que puede tener la naturaleza.
    El lugar parece precioso.

    Saludos.

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  18. I love the folklore of different areas around the world. We all had our beliefs and our fears. Many were unwarranted.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. ☺

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  19. Gorgeous photo and an interesting history. I agree with those who have said nature is reclaiming the space.

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  20. Love the backdrop of the story.
    Thanks so much for participating and sharing at SSPS 309. See you again next week at https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/ Please do not forget to come and join each W-S #WordlessWednesday (Words are also welcome) https://esmesalon.com/tag/wordlesswednesday/

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  21. Earthquakes are frightening to live through. Enlightened countries learn from that experience and educate people to deal as effectively as they can with earthquakes and set in place stringent building codes that minimise building damage and save lives. Thanks for taking part in the "My Sunday Best" meme

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