Baqiao Bridge Site, Xi’an, Shaanxi 陕西西安灞桥遗址

Location: China, Shaanxi, Xi’an Google Maps Amap
Part of: Xi’an, National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit
Chinese Culture: Ancient Chinese Architecture, Chapter 9: Qing
Nearby: Banpo Site, Xi’an ↓︎4km, Mount Li and Huaqing Pool ↗︎15km, Daming Palace, Xi’an ←︎10km, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Army ↗︎21km, Forest of Steles Museum, Xi’an ↙︎12km, Bell Tower of Xi'an ↙︎12km, City Wall and Forest of Steles, Xi’an ↙︎13km, Qianling Mausoleum ←︎84km, Mount Hua →︎95km, Mount Taibai ←︎130km

Baqiao Bridge crossed the Ba River on the eastern outskirts of Xi’an and from the Han on was the main road out of Chang’an to the east; people seeing off travellers would break a willow twig here as a parting gift, and “breaking willows at Baqiao” became a byword for farewell. The site preserves the remains of the bridge from the Sui to the Yuan, with rows of stone piers in the riverbed that show how large it was.