Abstract: By the comparison of bridge structural systems among China, American and Japan, the difference of bridge damages in China Wenchuan, American Northridge and Japan Kobe earthquakes as well as the reason of the lower damage rate of piers in Wenchuan earthquake were analyzed, and it was found that the type of the pier style in California was a frame type bridge pier, the supporting system in Japan was steel bearing, while laminated plate rubber bearing was used widely in medium and small span bridges in China, then put forward the problem of citing foreign aseismic codes directly to bridge seismic design of China. Combined with the difference on aseismic performance of laminated rubber bearing, lead rubber bearing, high damping rubber bearing and friction pendulum bearing, it is suggested that bearing should be used as a fuse element in the aseismic design; Referred to the design methods of American and Japan, the aseismic design method of small and medium span bridges considering bearing friction slipping was given, and suggested the aseismic design method of multilevel fortification and hierarchical energy dissipation which can use the characteristic of laminated rubber bearing, through the bearing friction slipping, minimum support length and unseating prevention structures. Finally, the corresponding failure modes in the longitudinal and transverse directions were proposed and some questions needed to be studied further were discussed.