Baojie Bridge

Baojie Bridge

Baojie Bridge is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangsu Province.

The old Baojie Bridge was built in 1934 when Rong Desheng, a renowned local industrialist and philanthropist from Wuxi, celebrated his 60th birthday and used his birthday funds for charitable projects to construct this bridge. Spanning 375 meters with 60 arches, the bridge gracefully stretches across the lake, connecting the north and south and adding immense charm to Li Lake. At the time, it was the longest bridge in Wuxi and thus was commonly known as the "Long Bridge." Upon its completion, Mr. Rong joyfully inscribed the name “Baojie Bridge” in gold characters, which were mounted on both the eastern and western sides of the bridge. The local people celebrated with incense and candles. In 1993, Rong Zhiqiang, Rong Desheng’s grandson, donated funds to build a new Baojie Bridge. The new bridge has 21 spans, is 390.7 meters long, and 18.5 meters wide. The old and new bridges are collectively referred to as the “Twin Rainbows of Baojie.” A stele pavilion was erected at the northern end, where calligrapher Qi Gong inscribed a stele documenting the historical vicissitudes of the two bridges.

On December 19, 2011, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province designated it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu