Shengze Taian Bridge

Shengze Taian Bridge

Located in Huangjiaxi Village, Shengze Town, Wujiang District, spanning the Huangjiaxi Market River.

Initially built in the fifth year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1632) and reconstructed in the eleventh year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1872). Designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Wujiang County on July 1, 1986.

A three-span granite beam bridge oriented from north to south. The total length is 20 meters, with a central width of 2.4 meters, an abutment width of 3.75 meters, a central span height of 3.95 meters, and a span of 5.05 meters. The revetment walls are mostly constructed of granite mixed with bluestone, and one stone step at the north abutment is made of Wukang stone, with the rest being granite. Although Taian Bridge is not the most outstanding among the more than 200 ancient bridges in Wujiang District, it holds significant historical value. The silk industry has been a traditional trade in Wujiang. “Before the Song and Yuan dynasties, only local residents were engaged in it.” By the Hongxi and Xuande eras of the Ming Dynasty (1425–1435), “local people gradually began to engage in silk weaving, though they often hired residents from the county town to operate the looms.” At that time, manual silk weaving was concentrated in the southern part of the county, centered around Xinhang (now Quntie Village, Shengze Town), Huangjiaxi, and Shengze, extending north to parts of Pingwang and Lili, and west to the entirety of Tanzhou and Nanma, as well as parts of Meiyang, Zhenze, and Tongluo. Silk was valued at only two or three cents per liang, but once woven into silk fabrics, it was worth eight or nine cents per liang, leading to the gradual prosperity of the weaving trade. During the Chenghua and Hongzhi eras of the Ming Dynasty (1465–1505), independent professional silk weavers—known as “loom households”—emerged from agricultural life. By the late Ming period, small-scale silk producers had become sharply polarized, with a notable number of “those with (financial) means,” as well as many who were hired to weave. Those who were hired to weave would wait every morning on Taian Bridge and another now-nonexistent stone bridge called Changchun Bridge, hoping to be employed, a practice known as “walking the bridge” or “seeking work.” This custom continued into the Qing Dynasty. Taian Bridge serves as physical evidence of Wujiang’s silk history and the emergence of hired labor relations, reflecting the budding capitalism of China's Ming and Qing periods.

Source: Wujiang Archives Bureau

Huangjiaxi Village: “Huangjiaxi came before Shengze Town.” As the birthplace of Shengze’s silk culture, Huangjiaxi Village is located at the northernmost tip of Shengze Town. It was formed through the merger of Shangsheng, Huangjiaxi, and Daxin villages and is one of the larger villages in the town. The village currently has a population of 3,065, 29 villager groups, and 826 households. The land area spans 5,600 mu, with over 50 private enterprises and fixed corporate assets totaling 1 billion yuan.

The village party committee was established in July 2007, with 153 party members and 14 party branches. Since 2008, the village has seen economic development, new rural construction, increased farmer incomes… More detailed information about Huangjiaxi Village ++