Dajue Temple Bridge

Dajue Temple Bridge

Dajue Temple Bridge is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Dajue Temple Bridge is located in front of the ruins of Dajue Temple in Dayao Village, Chefang, former Wu County.

The bridge was first built in the seventh year of the Qingli era during the Northern Song Dynasty (1047) and was reconstructed in the eleventh year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1351). It is a beam-style stone bridge, with a deck made of Wukang stone and a foundation of bluestone. Its revetment wall is constructed by stacking irregularly shaped blocks of stone in an interlocking pattern. The bridge is 2.70 meters wide and 5.15 meters long. The bridge deck consists of five slightly arched long stone slabs, with the middle three being wider and each side featuring a slightly higher slab that forms the coping. The side surfaces of the coping stones are adorned with exquisitely carved patterns: the eastern side features two dragons playing with a pearl, while the western side is decorated with a precious pearl, bats, immortals, and celestial horses. The beam ends are carved with Vajra deities holding bowls, whose images are very archaic. Dajue Temple Bridge is a valuable example for studying the art of fortune-related carvings and bridge construction techniques from the Song and Yuan dynasties. It was designated as a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province on April 19, 1995.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province