Songling Tai’an Bridge

Songling Tai’an Bridge

Songling Tai’an Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

Commonly known as the New Bridge, Songling Tai’an Bridge is located in the old Shengjiaku neighborhood of Songling Town, Wujiang City, spanning the Xin Kai River (also called Xin Qiao He).

It was first built in 1546 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era. Shengjiaku was originally a bustling commercial district in the southeast of Songling Town, lined with shops standing shoulder to shoulder. During the Jiajing period, local brothers Wu?E oversaw the excavation of the Xin Kai River, connecting the Wusong River to the Xiangxiangbang area west of the city, which divided this southern part of the town into northern and southern sections. This stone bridge was built over the new river to facilitate passage through the commercial district. The bridge was destroyed during the Xianfeng era conflicts and was rebuilt in 1892 during the Qing Dynasty’s Guangxu reign. Locals in Songling referred to it as the New Bridge.

It is a single-arch bridge oriented from north to south. The total length is 13 meters, width 3.35 meters, arrow height 4.4 meters, and span 4.65 meters. There are bridge abutments on both ends. From south to north there are 17 steps, and from north to south 16 steps. At the south abutment, there are 4 steps directly to the south, 5 to the east, and 3 to the west; the abutment surface measures 1.6×4.4 meters. At the north abutment, there are 4 steps directly to the north, 6 to the east, and 4 to the west; the abutment surface measures 1.62×4.44 meters. The entire bridge is constructed from granite, including granite railings. The keystone of the bridge is carved with a lotus pattern. The bridge is inscribed with the three characters “Tai’an Qiao” (Tai’an Bridge). Each side of the bridge features a couplet. The east-facing couplet reads: “Near the city corner, it connects to Lize; far off, it links to the Song River, apart from the Hanging Rainbow.” The west-facing couplet reads: “The battlements renewed usher in peace and tranquility; the perch hometown □□□□□” (the last five characters are now obscured by stone revetment and illegible). On the west side of the bridge’s southern section, there is a stone embedded in the structure; the inscribed text has been blurred by cement, but remnants such as “…former Wujiang magistrate… Di’e Hall Wu… Xiang… Guangxu ten…” can faintly be seen. On July 29, 1994, it was listed as a cultural relic control unit of Wujiang City.

Taihu New Town (Songling Subdistrict): The administrative area of Songling Subdistrict consists of 10 neighborhood committees from the former Songling Town—Xitang, Beimen, Luxiang 3rd Village, Luxiang 2nd Village, Dongmen, Chengzhong, Shili, Xiyuanwei, Meishi, and Xiangtai—and 5 village committees—Nanku, Jiangxin, Nanliu, Second Fisheries, and Qiangang—as well as 9 neighborhood committees from the former Binhu Subdistrict—Aolin Qinghua, Shuixiang, Xinyuan, Suhe, Hubin Huacheng, Longhe, Shuixiu, Changban, and Dongmei—and 7 village committees—Changan, Ludang, Fishing, Liantuan, High-tech, Wumo, and Meili. The office of Songling Subdistrict is located within the Hubin Huacheng neighborhood committee, at No. 96 Luxiang South Road... More details about Taihu New Town (Songling Subdistrict)++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Suzhou City