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There's a poem says：Among all the sights in Jiangnan, Hangzhou left the deepest impression on me. I am very proud of being a localite, and I'm eagerly want to introduce this city which combines beauty and history to you. This is a new column which focuses on the introduction of Hangzhou, and I sincerely hope that you‘ll like it

故事有云：江南忆，最忆是杭州。身为杭州人，我感到很自豪并且非常想要把这座美景与历史并存的城市介绍给大家。这是我开设的以此为主题的专栏，希望大家喜欢

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As we all know that Hangzhou is famous for its West Lake, but we seldom think of it as the end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Even those travelers who have done a lot of preparations may not know that they can take the canal water bus to the places like Xiangji Temple, Xinyi Square and Gongchen Bridge. This time, come with Vicky to Gongchen Bridge for a walk.

大家都知道杭州以西湖闻名于世，却很少想起她同样是京杭大运河的终点。即便是做足了功课游客，也未必会前往香积寺、信义坊、拱宸桥等景点。今天，就让Vicky带着带着大家，去拱宸桥走走看看吧😊

（图片源自网络）

With the arrival of the water bus, we boarded the shore. On our left hand is the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum, and on our right hand is Gongchen Bridge.

随着水上公交的到站，我们登上岸。我们的左手边是京杭大运河博物馆，右手边就是拱宸桥了。

Gongchen Bridge was built in the 4th year of Chongzhen reign in Ming Dynasty(1631). "Chen" means emperor's residence, while "Gong" means greeting with cupped hands. Gongchen Bridge is a symbol of welcoming and respect for the ancient emperor when they made inspection tour to Hangzhou.

杭州是一座因水而灵的城市，有水必定有桥。然而，杭城现存的古桥其实并不多见，而拱宸桥就是其中之一。相传在古代，“宸”是指帝王居住的地方，“拱”是拱手，两手相合表示敬意。每当帝王们南下江南巡视，这座高高耸立的古桥象征着对君王的敬意。拱宸桥的名字，就由此而来。

In 2014, at the 38th UNESCO world heritage conference held in Qatar, China's Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal successfully applied for a heritage site and will be officially included in the world heritage list. In the process of applying for the relics, the number of points in Hangzhou section ranks among the highest in China, and Gongchen Bridge is an important part of Hangzhou section. Since then, Hangzhou has a second world cultural heritage.

2014年，在卡塔尔举行的联合国教科文组织第38届世界遗产大会上，中国京杭大运河申遗成功，将被正式列入《世界遗产名录》。在申遗的过程中，杭州段的点段数量位居中国前列，拱宸桥正是杭州段申遗的重要部分。自此，杭州有了第二个世界文化遗产。

Gongchen Bright stretched across the eastern and western banks of the Grand Canal and appears majestic and grand. Around 92m in length and 16m in height, it's the highest and longest ancient stone arch bridge in Hangzhou and is the landmark of the south end of the Grand Canal.

拱宸桥身长98米，高16米，是京杭大运河杭州终点的标志。随着京杭大运河的航运功能不断提升，来往船只每年达到了10万余艘。2005年，杭州市政府为了保护桥身在拱宸桥两侧浇铸了4个防撞墩，上面各趴上了一只石雕的趴蝮。

It is said that 趴蝮 [bā xià] is one of the nine children of the dragon. It is fond of water by nature, and loves to eat water demon. It can dissolve diseases, and is regarded as the guardian god of the ancient bridge by the world. They looked grim and dignified, and silently watched the ships coming and going on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

传说中，趴蝮是龙的九子之一。它生性喜水，爱食水妖，能够化解病灾杀气，被世人奉为古桥的守护神。它们面目狰狞，神态威严，默默地注视着京杭大运河上南来北往的船只。

When you stand on the Gongchen Bridge and look down from the bridge, the river is very open and you can feel the wind coming from all directions. There is an old saying in Hangzhou:

当你站在拱宸桥上从桥上望下去，河面非常开阔，可以感觉到八面来风。杭州有句老话：
"城隍山上看火烧，拱宸桥头乘风凉。"

The ancient canal combines modern and history together. The modern tall buildings on both sides are not abrupt with the ancient buildings. Gongchen Bridge is like an old man who has experienced many vicissitudes of life, standing there and watching the moving of people as well as the changing of seasons.

这条古运河承载着现代和历史。两旁的现代高楼，和古色古香的建筑在一起并不突兀。拱宸桥就像一个饱经沧桑的老人，更古不变地矗立在这里看着人来人往，四季轮换。

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