Some of the world's oldest bridges reside in the provinces of China, dating back as far as the Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). Bridges throughout China's history have been built with arches in shapes such as semicircular (also known as moon bridges as the reflection in water looks like a full moon), elliptical, polygonal, triangular, parabolic, horseshoe, and even egg shape. The aesthetic features of such bridges were as important in ancient times as they are now. They are famed for their ethereal beauty and have long been depicted in poetry and art alike throughout the centuries. The best-known arch bridge built by the ancient Chinese is Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei Province. Also known as Anji Bridge or Dashi Bridge, Zhaozhou Bridge is the world's first stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge. It's also the oldest arch bridge in China today with construction starting in 595 AD and taking over a decade to complete. Often considered a piece of art on its own because of its well-proportioned layout, elegant structure, and beautiful appearance. In fact, many stone bridges throughout China have followed these aesthetic ideals in crafting new bridges. So, it is no wonder that Cai Jiangbai has made a point to capture the beauty of the traditional fixed arch of Chinese bridges in this imposing portrait of one such landmark. Clean and uniform buildings sit just out of view in the background above the river as the marble-colored crossing takes center stage. The painting naturally draws your gaze upward one step at a time, until they suddenly find themselves dipping right back down the other side with the woman at the far end. Each point on the bridge is crowned with a carved stone column that shows off the sturdy and well-crafted nature of the bridge itself. This is further shown in the way the railways of the bridge come down and slide through the pillars and lock in place, leading to visually pleasing architecture. The woman may be swiftly on her way across the bridge and home, but the painting offers a chance to keep this moment in time frozen for all to enjoy.