Juqu Fengyue Bridge

Juqu Fengyue Bridge

Juqu Fengyue Bridge is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Juqu Fengyue Bridge, also known as Fengyue Bridge or Dushui Bridge, is located in Duciao Community, Dongshan Town, Wuzhong District, Suzhou City, between Dongshan Mountain and Wushan Mountain. The Taihu Lake is also called "Juqu", hence the name of the bridge.

The bridge spans Juqu Port, a three-arch stone bridge built with a mix of granite and bluestone. It was rebuilt in the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign during the Ming Dynasty (1496), and underwent multiple renovations in the nineteenth year of the Daoguang reign (1839), the third year of the Xuantong reign (1911), and the early years of the Republic of China.

Juqu Port stretches 12 kilometers from the northeast to the southwest, running through Dongshan Mountain and separating it from Wushan Mountain. Originally, transportation relied on boat ferries, which is why the location was historically referred to as a "ferry crossing". Later, the boat service was discontinued and replaced with a wooden bridge for pedestrian passage. During the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1341–1368), a man named Zhou Fuqilang funded the construction of a stone slab bridge. By the early years of the Jingtai reign in the Ming Dynasty (1450), the bridge had been destroyed. It remained unrepaired for over 40 years. Local residents raised funds to build a makeshift wooden bridge, but due to the river's width and the bridge’s height, it often posed safety risks. In the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign (1496), Wu Tian?, a grain tax official from Wushan, witnessing the situation, resolutely funded the reconstruction of Dushui Bridge. His action earned praise and commendation from local officials, including the prefectural governor and county magistrate. During the construction, Yao Fang, an official from the Ministry of Works, personally supervised the project. The building of Dushui Bridge required 9,800 workdays, 2,300 timber logs, 1,200 granite blocks, 12.5 tons of lime, and 100 gold ingots. After completion, the bridge was entirely constructed of stone. Nearly 400 years later, by the early years of the Republic of China, the bridge began to show signs of wear, but was subsequently repaired by Wu Limen, a descendant of the Wu family, and remains well-preserved to this day.

On March 25, 1986, Juqu Fengyue Bridge was listed as part of the second batch of Wu County Cultural Relics Protection Units. It is now designated as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit due to administrative division adjustments.