Zhangze Bridge

Zhangze Bridge

Zhangze Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Yixing City.

Zhangze Bridge, located on the Old Street of Zhangze in Dapu Town, Yixing City, was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Yixing County in June 1983. On December 19, 2011, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government listed it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units (incorporated into the sixth batch of ancient bridges in Yixing).

According to the "Yixing County Annals," during the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Li dug the Li River and built a wooden bridge here. The existing stone bridge was rebuilt in the 54th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1715) and renovated in the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934), with multiple restorations carried out on the arches in recent years.

Zhangze Bridge is a three-arch stone bridge oriented from east to west, with 37 stone steps on each side. The bridge’s steps and arch stones are made of granite, while the rest are constructed with bluestone. Each side of the bridge is lined with 13 lotus-shaped balusters and 12 rectangular rail panels. The bridge is 45.95 meters long, 4.70 meters wide at the center, and 5.68 meters wide at the abutments. The central arch has a clear span of 9.55 meters and a rise of 5.10 meters, while the secondary arches have a clear span of 6.30 meters and a rise of 3.50 meters. There are two stone steles on the western abutment, one commemorating the bridge repairs in the 31st year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty and the other in the 23rd year of the Republic of China.