Donglin Bridge

Donglin Bridge

Donglin Bridge is located in Xigang Village, Pingwang Town, Wujiang District, spanning Jiuxi Creek.

Its original construction date is unknown. It was rebuilt twice during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566) and in the third year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1646), and was renovated again in the third year of the Jiaqing reign (1798). On July 29, 1994, it was listed as a cultural relic control unit of Wujiang District.

This single-arch stone bridge runs east-west. It is 11.72 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, with a height of 2.25 meters and a span of 4.3 meters. Both the eastern and western ends have 13 steps. The sides of the bridge are inscribed with couplets. The southern inscription reads: “Vast shimmering waves embrace picturesque Lake Gaotian, while scattered sails connect to the melodious Ying Lake.” The area around Donglin Bridge was once the busiest and most vibrant part of the old Xigang Street. Shops lined both ends of the street, including grocery stores, butcher shops, teahouses, taverns, pharmacies, rice dealers, fruit stands, daily goods shops, as well as workshops for bamboo crafts, barrel-making, blacksmiths, and barbers. From the 1950s to the 1980s, state-owned and collective enterprises such as the Pingwang Supply and Marketing Cooperative, post office, pharmacy, and credit union all had branches on the old street east of the river. The west side of the old street featured shops along the pavement, covered by a brick-and-tile arcade that sheltered pedestrians from wind and rain. There were also seven teahouses on the street that attracted tea drinkers from the surrounding areas. After the highway between Pingwang and Xigang opened in 1985, commercial activity in the old Xigang Street gradually declined.

There is also the Temple of General Liu Meng on the eastern end of the bridge. The existing structure was built during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1862–1874) and is dedicated to General Liu Chengzhong of the Yuan Dynasty. Legend has it that this General Liu was a master at eradicating locust plagues and was deeply respected and beloved by the people. After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, he drowned himself in a river and was posthumously honored as General Liu Meng. The Temple of General Liu Meng, commonly referred to as Liuwang Temple, once had many counterparts across Wujiang. Over time, these temples disappeared, leaving only this one by Jiuxi Creek. Together with Donglin Bridge, the Liuwang Temple forms a distinctive water-town landscape of “bridges and temples in harmony.”

Source: Wujiang Archives Bureau

Xigang Village: Located on the shore of Taihu Lake, Xigang Village has a population of 2,278 and covers a total area of over 20 hectares, comprising 22 natural villages and 30 villager groups. It lies south of the Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Anhui Expressway and east of the Wujiang North-South Trunk Road. … More details about Xigang Village++