Jiatai Bridge

Jiatai Bridge

Jiatai Bridge is located in Lubei Village, north of Luxu Town, Wujiang District, spanning the Wuling Stream and connecting the Yizi and Chengzi polders.

It was first built in the first year of the Jiatai era (1201) during the Southern Song Dynasty by Gu Hengzhi, known as "Mr. Mu Jing." The bridge stele records: “The bridge is named Jiatai because it was first constructed in the first year of the Jiatai era (1201) during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song Dynasty, hence the name.” It was rebuilt during the Jingding era (1260–1264) of the Southern Song, and in the 24th year of the Hongwu era (1391) of the Ming Dynasty. In the 23rd year of the Chenghua era (1487) of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt again, and the inscription “Record of Donors for the Reconstruction of Jiatai Bridge in Beigu Li” was engraved on a stele, which is inlaid within the arch. The text of the stele reads: “Fifty li to the southeast of Songling lies a town called Luxu. Gu Yewang, a Doctor of the Imperial College during the Liang Dynasty, chose to settle here, thus giving the place the name Beigu Li. Nowadays, those with the surname Gu are all descendants of Gu Yewang. On both the eastern and western banks live the local people, who are kind-hearted and observe virtuous customs. In the middle of the stream, flowing from north to south, is the Wuling Stream. The bridge is named Jiatai because it was first built in the first year of the Jiatai era during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song Dynasty. Since ancient times until now, its pillars and bricks have been repeatedly damaged and rebuilt. In the Dingwei year of the Chenghua era, there were local philanthropists who united in spirit and effort, each contributing their own funds and also raising money from the public. They had stone arches made, converting it into a single-span structure. The top was paved with stone, and railings were erected on the sides. Construction began in the ninth month of the year and was completed by the twelfth month. I was asked to record this event, and thus I composed the following inscription: In the Dingwei year, the Gui Chou month, the bridge was completed, and its name shall endure without end. The 23rd year of the Chenghua era of the Great Ming, December. Benefactors involved in the project: Gu Yuanben, Zhou Qiming, Wu Jiaoxiao, Wu Mengxiao, Chen Bijia, and Qiu Sijia.” It was rebuilt again in the Wanli era (1573–1620), in the 12th year of the Shunzhi era (1655) of the Qing Dynasty, and in the 17th year of the Guangxu era (1891) of the Qing Dynasty. On July 29, 1994, it was listed as a cultural relic under controlled protection by Wujiang District.

It is a single-arch stone bridge oriented from east to west. The total length is 18.1 meters, with a central width of 2.75 meters, an eastern abutment width of 3.5 meters, and a western abutment width of 3.45 meters. The arch rise is 3.25 meters, and the span is 5.7 meters. The arch ring is built using the method of vertically aligned, segmented, and juxtaposed courses. The arch stones and bridge ears (also called tie stones) are mostly bluish-gray stone, the facing stones of the spandrel walls are mostly Jinshan stone, and the bridge deck includes some purple Wukang stone. The variety of stone colors and materials results from multiple renovations carried out during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The stone railings and balusters (commonly called bridge corners) are intact. There are 14 steps on the eastern and western landings respectively, though some steps have slightly shifted. The underwater foundation stones at the southeastern part are loose, and the partition wall above them is cracked. In the summer of 1989, villagers used cement to reinforce the loose areas in a simple manner. After the 1990s, collisions from large-tonnage motorboats and the scouring of rapid currents accelerated damage to the lower part of the bridge. On January 17, 2001, the first arch stone on the northwest water basin stone was knocked into the river, the dragon tendon stone above it was shattered—with half falling into the river—and the adjacent northern facing stone also fell. Later, it was hit again, causing the second arch stone at the damaged area to break, and the remaining half of the dragon tendon stone was also on the verge of falling. The load-bearing arch became critically unstable. The northeastern wall is inscribed with the words “Donated and rebuilt by local residents and generous donors,” while the northwestern wall bears the inscription “December 12, 17th Year of the Guangxu Era.” On the southern side of the bridge is a couplet: “A rainbow’s waist encircles waters linking south to market; Goose-teeth rows through clouds reaching north to Gu village.” In the couplet, “rainbow’s waist” and “goose-teeth” both refer to the bridge. “Market” refers to the Luxu town area to the south of Jiatai Bridge, while “Gu village” means “Beigu Li,” the ancient name for old Luxu. From a literary perspective, the couplet on Jiatai Bridge is ingeniously crafted. At first glance, “Beigu village” (a place name, i.e., a noun) in the lower line does not seem to match “south links to market” in the upper line, which is composed of a directional word, a verb, and a noun. However, if “Beigu village” is read as separate characters, it can also be interpreted as a directional word, a verb (“顾” meaning to look or care for), and a noun—similar in structure to the famous “heartless” couplet: “Three Stars, White Lande” matched with “May Month, Yellow Plum Rain.”

Source: Wujiang Archives Bureau