Changle Bridge

Changle Bridge

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

Changle Bridge spans the Ergan River, with access westward to Wolong Mountain. The existing stone bridge retains the style of Song Dynasty architecture. Measuring 36 meters in length and 3.7 meters in width, it is a three-arch stone bridge constructed using a method of segmented parallel laying of seat stones and bluestone. The original stone railings on the bridge are no longer present. This bridge is an important structure along the ancient post road of Lishui, and the current bridge body is well preserved. It is now a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

During the Song Dynasty, there was an ancient road leading north from Lishui County into Jurong territory. Changle Bridge is believed to have been built at least as early as the Song Dynasty. The "Jiankang Annals," compiled during the Jingding era of the Song Dynasty, contains records of this bridge. Judging from its construction, the bridge employs a “graded and parallel” building technique—where large stone slabs are stacked layer by layer like building blocks, without any central crossbeams. Stone arch bridges built this way are still very rare in China today.

Due to its long-standing role as a transportation route, Changle Bridge underwent multiple restorations throughout history. During the Ming Dynasty, locals Liu Ji and Liu Zheng from Gui Zheng Township funded the bridge’s repair and erected a commemorative stele at the bridgehead. However, only the turtle-shaped base of the stele remains today, and the textual records of the repairs have been lost. Nonetheless, someone discovered faint inscriptions of the reign title “Wanli” on a partially buried stone tablet near a pond, indicating that the bridge was repaired during the Wanli era. For nearly a thousand years, Changle Bridge has witnessed the passage of countless people and horse-drawn carriages traveling between Nanjing and Hangzhou. The bluestone slabs on the bridge deck still bear the ruts created by centuries of wheeled traffic. The bridge’s stone slabs come in two colors, yellow and bluish-green. It is said that the bluish-green slabs were laid during the Ming Dynasty restoration.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the road from Lishui to Jurong fell out of use, and Changle Bridge ceased its role as a transportation structure. Over time, the bridge fell into disrepair and became dilapidated, with all its railings missing. In November 2004, the Nanjing Cultural Relics Bureau initiated a restoration project for Changle Bridge—installing cofferdams and pumping out water to fully expose the bridge structure, which had been buried in silt. The restored bridge largely retains its rustic and weathered appearance, but is now able to withstand the test of time more effectively.

It is worth mentioning that the stone dragon heads (chi shou) on both sides of Changle Bridge are quite intriguing, coming in several different styles. Some have fierce expressions resembling the monsters seen on Seven-Bridge Urns, while others are crafted into beautiful floral patterns, giving a serene impression. It is difficult to verify whether these are original Song Dynasty features or additions from the Ming Dynasty restoration, though they appear more characteristic of the Ming style.

During the initial phase of the restoration project, workers discovered the long-missing water-controlling beast beneath the main bridge arch. This legendary creature is said to be one of the nine sons of the dragon. Most ancient Chinese bridges feature such a component, typically placed on the cutwater of the bridge pier. When the bridge was originally built during the Song Dynasty, local volcanic rock—dark red in color—was used. The stone color of this water-controlling beast matches that material, leading experts to preliminarily conclude that it is an original component from the Song Dynasty construction. This makes it a very rare find in the Nanjing area.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units