Dacang Bridge

Dacang Bridge

Dacang Bridge is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

Dacang Bridge (Dacang Qiao) is located east of Yushu Road in the western part of Songjiang Town. It is a large five-arch stone bridge oriented from north to south, about 10 meters high and spanning approximately 50 meters, and is one of the well-known Ming Dynasty stone bridges in Shanghai. Originally named Yongfeng, it came to be commonly called Dacang Bridge because it is situated south of the Songjiang Prefecture’s canal transport granary city. Historical records note: The West Granary Bridge was located west of Qianjing and was built during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty by County Magistrate Zhang Yunru. The South Granary, also known as the Waterfront West Granary, was mentioned in the “Record of the West Granary Bridge” written by Ming Dynasty’s Dong Qichang. Over time, as the river channels became shallower and narrower, only the middle three arches of the original five-arch bridge now span the river, while the sections under the two end arches have silted up into riverbanks.

Reconstructed during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1621–1627), it was originally named Yongfeng Bridge, with the inscription “Reconstructed Yongfeng Bridge” carved on the bridge plaque. Because it is located south of the former Songjiang Prefecture grain granary known as the Waterfront West Granary, it became commonly known as Dacang Bridge or West Granary Bridge. It spans the Old City River from north to south. The bridge is 50 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 8 meters high, with five arches of unequal spans—the central arch being the highest. The arches are constructed using a continuous tiered voussoir technique. The main structure of the bridge is built with bluestone, featuring bluestone railings and granite steps.

In 2002, the Songjiang District Government and Yongfeng Subdistrict jointly funded the restoration. During the construction, a stone stele inscription titled “Huating Granary Bridge Stele Record” was discovered inside the northern abutment arch. The stele is 169 cm long, 83 cm wide, and 22 cm thick, with a tenon at the bottom. Its top is carved with cloud patterns, and the sides feature S-shaped band motifs. Most of the text on the stele is no longer legible. (This stele remains under the northern bridge arch to this day.)

It was listed as a district-level cultural heritage site in 1985 and upgraded to a municipal-level cultural heritage site in 2014.