Ancient Bridge on the Qinhuai River

Ancient Bridges on the Qinhuai River

Ancient Bridges on the Qinhuai River

Zhènhuà Qiáo (Calming the Huai River Bridge)

Originally built during the Eastern Wu period and called Nánjīn Dàqiáo (South Ferry Grand Bridge), it was destroyed during the Wángdūn Rebellion in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Southern Dynasties, it was also known as Zhūquè Háng or Zhūquè Qiáo (Vermilion Bird Ferry or Vermilion Bird Bridge), serving as a major transportation hub leading outside the city. In the 11th year of Tiānjiàn during the Yang Wu era (914 AD), the Du Shuishi (Water Conservancy Official) constructed a bridge here, which was first named Zhènhuà Qiáo (Calming the Huai River Bridge). In the 5th year of Qiándào during the Southern Song Dynasty (1169 AD), it was rebuilt by Shǒulìu Shǐ Zhèngzhì. In the 1st year of Kāixī (1205 AD), it was reconstructed again under Shǒulìu Qiū Chóng. In the 4th year of Bǎo? (1256 AD), Shǒulìu Mǎ Guāngzǔ carried out another reconstruction. Zhènhuà Qiáo is the largest, most structurally solid, and most elaborately decorated bridge among the Ten-Li Qinhuai bridges. After the Ming Dynasty, its scale gradually shrank, and by the Qing Dynasty, the once magnificent presence of dozens of bridge pavilions had vanished. In 1960, it was reconstructed and widened, with the bridge measuring 32.4 meters in length and 26.2 meters in width. In 1995, one bridge was built to the east and another to the west of this bridge, and it has now become part of the historical Zhōnghuámén scenic area.

Zhūquè Qiáo (Vermilion Bird Bridge)

The original site of Zhūquè Qiáo was where Zhènhuà Qiáo stands today. During the Three Kingdoms period under Sun Wu, it was called Nánjīn Qiáo (South Ferry Bridge). In the Southern Dynasties, it was known as Zhūquè Háng or Zhūquè Qiáo (Vermilion Bird Ferry or Vermilion Bird Bridge), and later also referred to as Nán Háng, Dà Háng, or Nánmén Qiáo (South Ferry, Great Ferry, or South Gate Bridge). In the 2nd year of Xiánkāng during the Jin Dynasty (336 AD), Zhūquè Háng was rebuilt, directly facing Zhūquè Mén (Vermilion Bird Gate). In the 3rd year of Tàiyuán (378 AD), Xiè Zhì erected an additional story and placed two bronze sparrows on the bridge, naming it Zhūquè Guān (Vermilion Bird View). Among the Twenty-Four Ferries, this ferry was the largest, with a width of 6 zhang and a length of 90 paces, serving as the main passage connecting the southern and northern banks. During the Liáng Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties (Xiāo Liáng era), it was moved to its current location. The Sui Dynasty implemented a policy of suppressing Jīnlíng (Nanjing), resulting in significant damage to the city. From the Tang Dynasty onward, numerous literati visited to mourn the splendors of the Six Dynasties and express nostalgia for the past. The line “Wildflowers overgrown by the Vermilion Bird Bridge” from Du Mu’s poem “Wūyī Xiàng” (Black Clothes Lane) greatly popularized the bridge, making it a renowned historical landmark.

Wǔdìng Qiáo (Martial Pacification Bridge)

Initially built during the Chúnxī years of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was named “Jiāruì Fúqiáo” (Auspicious Floating Bridge), also called Shàngfúqiáo (Upper Floating Bridge), opposite Zhūquè Qiáo (Lower Floating Bridge). In the 2nd year of Jǐngdìng during the Southern Song Dynasty (1261 AD), Mǎ Guāngzǔ rebuilt it. In the early Ming Dynasty, it was renamed Wǔdìng Qiáo, symbolizing “civil governance can secure the nation, martial prowess can stabilize the country.” This name also corresponds with Wéndé Qiáo (Literary Virtue Bridge), commonly referred to as the “Two Bridges of Literature and Martial Arts.” During the Ming Dynasty, it neighbored Jiùyuàn (Old Courtyard), surrounded by connected streets and picturesque scenery, attracting numerous dandies and becoming a bustling downtown area famed throughout the ancient city. In 199…

…the bridge was widened during road expansion, but the ancient structure remains.

Láiyàn Qiáo (Swallow-Coming Bridge)

On the west side of this bridge lies Piàoqí Háng (Cavalry Ferry), one of the ancient Twenty-Four Ferries of the Qinhuai River. The ferry was named after the residence of Jì Zhān, a high-ranking official of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and General of the Cavalry. Jì Zhān, along with Wáng Dǎo, assisted Sīmǎ Ruì in establishing the Eastern Jin Dynasty and became a founding hero, appointed as General of the Cavalry. He built his residence in Wūyī Xiàng (Black Clothes Lane), with grand halls that rivaled the Láiyàn Táng (Swallow-Coming Hall) at the former residences of the Wáng and Xiè families. Piàoqí Háng was later destroyed, and a floating ferry was built in its place. In 1988, a formal concrete bridge was completed. Because the ancient Wūyī Xiàng to the south of the bridge housed the famous “Láiyàn Táng,” the bridge was named “Láiyàn Qiáo.”

Wéndé Qiáo (Literary Virtue Bridge)

Originally one of the Twenty-Four Ferries of the Six Dynasties’ Jīnlíng, a wooden bridge was built here in the 13th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Wànlì era (1585 AD), and in the 26th year of Wànlì (1598 AD), it was reconstructed in stone by Qián Hóngyè. The bridge’s name reflects the Confucian ideal of “literary virtue illuminating the world.” It was destroyed during the warfare of the Xīanfēng years of the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt as a wooden bridge in the 5th year of Tóngzhì (1866 AD). In 1987, the railings were replaced with white marble, and the bridge deck was paved with bluestone. Because Wéndé Qiáo lies on the meridian line, on the 15th day of the 11th lunar month at midnight, the moon aligns directly with the meridian, splitting the reflection of the full moon in the river into two halves. Observers on the bridge can see two “half moons” beneath them, known as the “Wéndé Moon Split.” When standing upright, one’s shadow disappears, creating the spectacle of the “Moon Overhead.” On these occasions, the bridge becomes extremely crowded, and enthusiastic moon-gazers have occasionally broken the railings and fallen into the water—giving rise to the saying “Don’t trust the Wéndé Bridge railings.”

Wényuán Qiáo (Literary Source Bridge)

In the early Ming Dynasty, Huáng Guān, originally from Guìchí, Ānhuī, lived on Dōngshíbà Jiē (East Stone Dam Street). He achieved top honors in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, earning the title of “Triple First.” Later, when Yàn Wáng Zhu Dì carried out mass killings, Huáng Guān strongly opposed it. His wife was captured but escaped, eventually jumping into the Qinhuai River and dying by suicide at Huáiqīng Qiáo. Upon hearing the news, Huáng Guān drowned himself in Guìchí, facing Jīnlíng (Nanjing). Later generations built the Huáng Gōng Cí (Huáng Public Shrine) in his memory at his former residence, along with a wooden bridge called Huáng Gōng Qiáo (Huáng Public Bridge). It was rebuilt in the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931 AD) and underwent multiple renovations. After the liberation, since this bridge provided direct access from the Confucius Temple to Báilù Zhōu (White Egret Islet), it was renamed “Báilù Qiáo” (White Egret Bridge). In 1986, during renovations, a stone stele from the 8th year of the Qing Dynasty’s Tóngzhì era (1869 AD), inscribed with the “Biography of Huáng Wénzhēn Gōng,” was discovered. This confirmed the bridge’s original name as “Huáng Gōng Qiáo.” In 1997, scholars suggested renaming the bridge to “Wényuán Qiáo” to reflect its northern bank location as a hub of Confucian and imperial examination culture, echoing the name “Wéndé Qiáo.”

Píngjiāng Qiáo (Pingjiang Bridge)

During the Qing Dynasty, the area north of this bridge was part of the Píngjiāng Fǔ (Pingjiang Prefecture) examination section of the Jiangnán Gòngyuàn (Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall). During examination years, candidates crossed the bridge from the southern bank of the Qinhuai River to enter the examination hall, but otherwise, few pedestrians used it. In the 31st year of Guāngxù (1905 AD), the imperial examination system was abolished, and the examination hall lost its original function. In the early years of the Republic of China, amid the trend of “demolishing the examination hall to create a market,” most of the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall buildings were torn down, turning the area into a bustling commercial district around the Confucius Temple. Píngjiāng Qiáo also fell into disuse with the decline of the examination hall. With the expansion of the Confucius Temple tourist area, a concrete bridge was officially built here in 1989. In 2003, it was reconstructed using bluestone.

Wénzhèng Qiáo (Literary Governance Bridge)

About 20 meters west of this bridge stood Lìshè Qiáo (Convenient Crossing Bridge), built in the 3rd year of the Qing Dynasty’s Shùnzǔ era (1646 AD). In the 2nd year of Kāngxī (1663 AD), the wooden bridge was rebuilt in stone. During the Republican era, Lìshè Qiáo was severely damaged and demolished, though its piers remained. In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927 AD), a railway bridge was built east of Lìshè Qiáo. In 1958, the urban railway was dismantled, and the railway bridge was repurposed as a pedestrian bridge, renamed Wénzhèng Qiáo. Its name embodies the idea that “the Confucian scholarship and imperial examination culture of the Confucius Temple represent the orthodox and authentic cultural heritage of Jīnlíng (Nanjing).”