Mao Yisheng was studious and enterprising since childhood, and was good at independent thinking. When he was 10 years old, a dragon boat race was held in his hometown during the Dragon Boat Festival. All the people watching the game stood on Wende Bridge. Because there were too many people, the bridge collapsed and killed many people. This unfortunate incident weighed heavily on Mao Yisheng's mind. He secretly made up his mind that when he grew up, he must build the strongest bridge. From then on, whenever Mao Yisheng saw a bridge, whether it was a stone bridge or a wooden bridge, he always saw enough from the deck to the bridge column. After Mao Yisheng went to school, he saw articles and paragraphs about bridges from books, so he copied them in his notebook. When he saw pictures about the bridge, he cut them out and pasted them on. After a long time, he accumulated several thick notebooks.
After graduating from high school, Mao Yisheng was admitted to the Department of Civil Engineering of Tangshan Institute of Technology. After graduating from Tangshan Road Mine 19 16, he was sent to the United States for postgraduate study with the first place, and set off for Cornell University in September. Who knows that the director of the school's registration office proudly said: "Tangshan, China has never heard of this school, and you must pass the exam to register." . After the examination, Mao Yisheng got excellent grades, so he applied for the postgraduate of bridge major. Since then, the graduates of Tangshan Road and Mine School have been sent to Cornell University for postgraduate study, and they are no longer allowed to pass the exam. Mao Yisheng received his master's degree from Cornell University Graduate School on 19 17 and his doctor's degree in engineering from Gary Leakey Institute of Technology on 19 19. The title of the doctoral thesis is "Secondary Stress of Bridge Mechanics", which was first-class in the world at that time, so it won the gold medal for scientific research awarded by Gariji Institute of Technology. 19 19 12, 24-year-old Mao Yisheng resolutely returned to China and became a professor at Tangshan College of Jiaotong University. Mao Yisheng said: "Looking back on my study and life, this 14 year effort is like building a bridge, which has built a solid pier for my life." After returning to China, Mao Yisheng successively served as a professor of Tangshan Institute of Technology, a professor and director of engineering at Nanjing Southeast University, the president of Hohai University of Technology, the president and professor of Tianjin Beiyang Institute of Technology, the director of Jiangsu Water Resources Bureau, the general manager and chief engineer of China Bridge Corporation of the Ministry of Communications, and the president of Northern Jiaotong University.
1933 to 1937, Mao Yisheng was the director of Qiantang river bridge engineering department, and presided over the construction of the first modern bridge with both highway and railway functions in China-"Qiantang river bridge". He solved the technical problems in bridge construction by "water injection method", "caisson method" and "floating method". Since then, Mao Yisheng has traveled all over the country, and his name has remained all over the country with the newly-built bridge. After five years' efforts, Mao Yisheng finally built the modern Qiantang River Bridge.
September 26th is the 65th anniversary of the completion and opening of Qiantang River Bridge. Today, 65 years ago, the pioneer of modern bridge engineering in China, headed by Mr. Mao Yisheng, built the first modern steel bridge designed and built by China people on the Qiantang River, and set up an immortal monument in the history of bridge engineering in China.
Qiantang River Bridge 1934 started. Zhejiang-jiangxi railway was under construction at that time. In order to connect the Shanghai-Hangzhou railway, a bridge must be built on the Qiantang River. Qianjiang River is a famous dangerous river with extremely complicated hydrogeological conditions. Its water potential is not only affected by the upstream flash floods, but also restricted by the downstream tidal fluctuations. In case of typhoon, the river is often rough. The quicksand at the bottom of Qiantang River is 4 1 m thick and unfathomable, and is known as the "bottomless Qiantang River". Therefore, there is a folk proverb that it is impossible to bridge the Qiantang River, and the engineering and technical circles also think that it is very difficult to bridge the Qiantang River. When Mr. Mao Yisheng was a teenager, he was determined to build a bridge, but later he lost to the United States. He specialized in bridges at Cornell University and Kalicky Institute of Technology, and received his doctorate. He was sad to see that all the steel bridges on the rivers of the motherland were built by foreigners. He was determined to live up to the expectations of the people of China and build his own bridge in China. So he rose to the challenge and was appointed as the head of the department of bridge engineering, and asked his classmate Luo Ying to be the chief engineer, determined to win.
The first difficulty in building a bridge is piling. In order to stabilize the bridge foundation, it is necessary to drive 1440 piles in 9 piers, which pass through the sediment with a thickness of 4 1 m and stand on the stone layer. The sand layer is thick and hard, so it can't go down lightly, but it is broken when it is heavy. Inspired by watering flowerpots to flush the soil out of small holes, Mao Yisheng adopted the "water jet method" of pumping water on thick and hard sediment to punch deep holes and then piling, and only 1 pile was driven day and night, which greatly accelerated the construction progress. The second difficulty in bridge construction is that the water flow is fast and the construction is difficult. Mao Yisheng invented the "caisson method", that is, the mouth of a box made of reinforced concrete sinks into the water, covers it at the bottom of the river, and then uses high-pressure air to squeeze out the water in the box. Workers dig sand in the box, so that caissons and stakes gradually merge into one. Build a dock on a caisson. It is not easy to place caissons. At the beginning, a caisson was washed downstream by the river, pushed upstream by the tide and scurried up and down. Later, the 3-ton iron anchor was changed to 10 ton, and the caisson problem was solved. The third difficulty is to erect steel beams. Mao Yisheng adopts the "floating method" which skillfully uses natural forces. The steel beam is transported between the two piers by boat at high tide, and falls on the two piers at low tide, which saves labor and time and greatly speeds up the progress.
Qiantang River Bridge is a bridge that has been baptized by War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. At the end of the bridge construction, the war of resistance between Songhu and Shanghai was tight, and Japanese planes often bombed. On one occasion, Mao Yisheng was discussing problems with several engineers and supervisors in the caisson of Pier 6, and suddenly all the lights in the caisson went out. It turned out that the lights on the construction site were turned off because of the Japanese plane bombing. Despite the enemy's bombing, Qiantang River Bridge was finally completed and opened to traffic on September 26th 1937.
After the completion of Qiantang River Bridge, it has made outstanding contributions to War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The inscription on the bridge tablet records this tragic historical fact: "When War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out, railways and highways were opened to traffic day and night under the bombardment of enemy planes. There are hundreds of thousands of vehicles supporting War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in Songhu and rushing to transport materials, waiting for the people to cross the river safely. In the later stage of construction, knowing that the war situation was unfavorable, the explosive was buried together with the five-hole steel beam because empty holes were reserved on the pier that was the most difficult to repair. It was not until Hangzhou was neglected to guard and the enemy rode close that it was determined to detonate on 19371February 23rd. At that time, Mr. Wang left the oath of "no more bridges, no more husbands" and brought his own drawings and materials to the rear. " In order to stop the enemy, Mao Yisheng was ordered to blow up the bridge he built. What a tragic scene. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Mao Yisheng fulfilled his oath and presided over the restoration of the bridge. Mr Mao Yisheng has been in charge of building, bombing and repairing bridges.
Qiantang River Bridge was built in the anti-Japanese bonfire and regenerated in the world of peaceful construction. She not only wrote a touching page in the Chinese nation's struggle against foreign invaders, but also played an important role in the national economic construction. She connected the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway with zhejiang-jiangxi railway and turned Qiantang River from a moat into a thoroughfare. Since it was opened to traffic for 65 years, she has made immortal contributions to the development of transportation and the prosperity of local economy in China.
Qiantang River Bridge is not only a milestone in the history of Chinese bridge construction, but also the cradle of Chinese bridge engineers. Mr. Mao Yisheng turned the construction site into a school, absorbed a large number of students majoring in civil engineering to participate in engineering practice, and trained a number of bridge engineering talents for the country. Some responsible persons of some important bridge projects in China, such as Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, have all experienced the baptism of Qiantang River Bridge construction.
Qiantang River Bridge has demonstrated to the whole world the intelligence of China's scientific and technological workers and the ability of the Chinese nation to stand on its own feet among the nations of the world. The great patriotism, pioneering spirit of scientific and technological innovation, struggling spirit of overcoming all difficulties and obstacles, and enterprising spirit shown by the pioneers of bridge engineering in China in the construction of Qiantang River Bridge will always be valuable spiritual wealth that inspires us to make unremitting efforts for the prosperity and strength of the motherland.
From 1955 to 1957, Mao Yisheng was the chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, and he accepted the task of building the first Yangtze River Bridge in China. 1September 1955, the bridge was officially started and completed on September 25, 1957, two years ahead of schedule. 19571June15th, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was opened to traffic. This bridge, designed by Mao Yisheng, is a double-deck steel truss bridge for railway and highway. The upper floor is a highway bridge with a width of 22.5 meters, of which the roadway width is 18 meters; The lower floor is a railway bridge with a width of 18m. The length of the main bridge is1155.5m, and the total length is1670.4m together with the highway approach bridges at both ends. The bridge connects Jing-Han Railway and Yue-Han Railway, becoming the traffic artery running through the north and south of China, connecting the three towns of Wuhan into a whole, and ensuring the integration of the north-south railway and highway network in China.
When the Great Hall of the People was built in Beijing from 65438 to 0958, Premier Zhou Enlai pointed out: "Mao Yisheng needs to sign the guarantee." Party and state leaders have great trust in Mao Yisheng, and Mao Yisheng is extremely responsible for the Party's work. He made a comprehensive review and accounting of the structural design of the Great Hall of the People, and finally signed it.
Mao Yisheng studied, built and wrote bridges all his life. Published more than 200 articles in Chinese and foreign newspapers and periodicals. He presided over the compilation of "Technical History of Ancient Bridges in China" and "Bridges in China-From Ancient Times to the Present" (in Japanese, English, French, German and Spanish). He is the author of Qiantang River Bridge, Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, Selected Works of Popular Science in Mao Yisheng (I and II) and Mao Yisheng's Works.
Since 1954, he has been elected as a member of the first to fifth China People's Political Consultative Conference, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC). 1987 10, gloriously joined the China * * * production party. He has made outstanding contributions to the bridge construction in China and the world. 1989165438+10/2 died.
On the Creation of Chinese Stone Arch Bridge (Mao Yisheng)
The article "Stone Arch Bridge in China" is a short article published in People's Daily by 1962, which was later selected as a junior middle school Chinese textbook and has been in use ever since.
In recent years, many middle school teachers have written or visited me to reflect some situations of classroom teaching. Professor Ye Cangcen, an educator, also asked me for advice on preparing lessons for this course four times. Some of the answers I gave are reproduced in publications related to Chinese teaching. Nowadays, Chinese textbooks contain articles from all sides, and their knowledge is extremely broad. From the young and middle-aged teachers I contacted, I deeply felt that their research on each model essay was serious and meticulous. I was deeply moved by this spirit. Recently, the comrades of Zhengzhou Teaching Communication Editorial Department intend to publish a book "Writers Talk about Middle School Chinese Texts", asking me to talk about the creative process. I don't deserve the title of writer, but because of the above situation, it is beneficial to take this opportunity to recall the conceptual activities when writing this article, if it helps the teaching effect required by the majority of Chinese teachers.
First of all, this article is about the stone arch bridge in China. Stone arch bridge is one of the three basic types of traditional bridges in China. Stone arch bridge system is diverse. The two bridges written in this paper are outstanding representative works among millions of stone arch bridges. For thousands of years, stone arch bridges have spread all over the country. With the development of economy and culture, they have made rapid progress. They are an integral part of China's splendid ancient culture and have won honor for the motherland in the world. Up to now, a large number of ancient bridges are well preserved, which can be said to be the historical testimony of the exquisite skills of bridge builders in past dynasties, and also show the wisdom and strength of the working people in China. An ancient bridge can stand the test of natural disasters and wars and has not been broken for thousands of years. It is a miracle that it has not only been preserved as a monument, but also maintained its inherent functions. Of course, it is also due to the hard repair of the past dynasties, and this repair activity often comes from the folk's love and protection of the bridge. There are many stories about this social fashion in the history of Chinese bridges, which is worth telling. China is regarded as an ancient country with many bridges. This historical concept and quantitative concept, as well as a fairly intuitive impression, are all aspects of knowledge that need to be involved in understanding Chinese stone arch bridges. If these vivid historical facts are removed, not only is the connotation empty, but what can one or two isolated bodies tell us?
Secondly, the stone arch bridge appeared late in the history of bridge development in China, but once it appeared, it developed rapidly. Even after modern railway and highway bridge engineering technology was introduced to China in 1880, it still maintained its vigorous vitality and made greater development through the combination of modern engineering theory and new building materials. The two bridges introduced in this paper have been in Zhao Zhouqiao for 1400 years, and Lugou Bridge has stood on the turbulent Yongding River for nearly 700 years. Both of them are majestic and solid, and they still maintain their original style, which can be used by heavy vehicles. It is rare in stone bridges at home and abroad. Zhao Zhouqiao's open-shouldered creation was seven centuries earlier than that of the West. The reason why it can last for a long time shows that the design and construction are scientific. Another example is the shallow foundation and short abutment in Zhao Zhouqiao. Many modern engineers are amazed because it survived many earthquakes and floods, which is no accident. Zhang Tang Jia Zhen said in the preface of Stone Bridge: "This is strange, and people don't know why." This evaluation is almost the same as that of engineering scholars in the 20th century, and it is highly skilled, which can be seen here. In a large number of historical facts, the technical achievements of ancient stone arch bridge "saving materials, skillful structure and high strength" are summarized, which is the consistent goal pursued by bridges and any buildings at home and abroad. At the beginning of the 6th century, China's skillful craftsmen displayed their intelligence and made bold innovations, and their brilliant achievements were worthy of pride.
Thirdly, bridging the bridge across the water, the beauty of artistic conception, the beauty of carving and decoration, and the diversity of styles are also the national traditions that embody China's aesthetic standards. No matter the size of the building, the technology should be improved, just like painting, there can be no failure. Since the prevalence of grotto statues, ancient masons have had a set of superb skills and a certain level of artistic design. The railings in Zhao Zhouqiao and the stone lions in Lugou Bridge are both famous for their artistic treasures, which is also a desirable tradition of Chinese stone arch bridges and has a far-reaching influence on the decoration of modern stone arch bridges.
The stone arch bridge in China has made some achievements in ancient times, and it still has development prospects today. What used to be useful is still working today. Therefore, it is a precious heritage, showing the industriousness, courage and outstanding talents of the working people in our country. We will certainly make greater achievements in the cause of modern bridges.
(Selected from Text Analysis Collection, Guangdong Education Press, 1984 edition)