The moon bridge in the fog

By Guido Trombetta on 8:09 PM , ,

REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV

When this photograph was taken, in Beijing, there was
a thick fog that cut visibility to a few dozen metres and paralysed flights in and out of the national capital on Wednesday, disrupting China’s week-long Lunar New Year celebrations.
But indeed it created a magical atmosphere, and the photographer do his share, perfectly composing the picture; with the bridge, the reflection and the passer-by all in the ideal position.
This kind of wonderful bridges are typical of Chinese and Japanese garden. They are called Moon Bridges and are built in stone or wood.
As part of formal garden design the bridge will be placed where its reflection is seen when the water is still. The half circle is intended to reflect in the calm water below the bridge, creating a full circle between bridge and reflection, a reference to the shape of the full moon. This picture clearly do justice to this concept.
The most famous chinese moon bridge is the Jade Belt Bridge also known as the Camel's Back Bridge, an 18th century pedestrian Moon bridge located in the Summer Palace in Beijing, one of the six famous bridges of the Kunming Lake.
In my opinion however the anonymous one, pictured in this shot, with its simplicity is even better, or maybe is just the magic of a foggy morning in the park..