Zijin Bridge

Zijin Bridge

Zijin Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

Zijin Bridge is the only surviving Song Dynasty bridge in Jiangyin to date. It is located by the Xicheng Canal in Tuzhen Village, Nan闸 Town. The bridge runs from north to south. According to the Jiangyin County Annals of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty: “Zijin Bridge spans a tributary of the Jiuli River at Caijing Town.”

Zijin Bridge is a small bridge on a tributary of the Xicheng Canal. The bridge is 6.0 meters long, with a clear span of 3.5 meters, and the bridge deck is composed of three Wukang stone slabs, spanning 2.4 meters in width. The bridge is constructed from fine-grained granite slabs in a purplish-red hue. Judging from the surviving railing structure of Zijin Bridge, during the heyday of the ancient Tuzhen Town, the bridge served as a river-crossing structure at the edge of the market street, facilitating the passage of pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. Legend has it that there was also a sister bridge on the small river east of Zijin Bridge, named Baiyu Bridge, but it has long been demolished.

In 2019, Zijin Bridge was included in the eighth batch of cultural relic protection units of Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province