Guyue Bridge

Guyue Bridge

Guyue Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

A single-arch stone bridge from the Song Dynasty. Located 100 meters west of Yazhi Street in Chian Town, Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, it spans the Longxi Stream. Built in the sixth year of the Jiading era of the Song Dynasty (1213).

The Guyue Bridge was built using the single-arch longitudinal jointed masonry technique, with a pentagonal arch. The bridge is 31.2 meters long, has a clear span of 15 meters, a deck width of 4.5 meters, and approach ramps on both sides each 8.1 meters long, with a rise of 4.15 meters and a slope of 30 degrees. The bridge body is constructed in three layers. The bottom layer consists of upright laid stone slabs in five segments, forming a pentagon. Each segment is made up of six stone slabs, each 2.8 meters long, 0.55 meters thick, and 0.3 meters wide, spaced 0.55 meters apart, and joined with transverse locking stones that are 4.75 meters long, 0.58 meters high, and 0.3 meters wide. The entire bridge uses thirty main stone slabs and four transverse locking stones. The middle layer consists of horizontally laid stone slabs of varying sizes, while the deck is paved with sand, mud, and square stones. Both sides of the deck are equipped with 0.5-meter-wide and 0.4-meter-high coping stones. On the central side of the bridge is a horizontal stone plaque inscribed with the words “Constructed in the autumn month of the guiyue year of the Jiading era of the Sacred Song Dynasty,” which clearly indicates the year of its construction. Despite centuries of weathering and severe stone erosion, the bridge retains its quaint charm and unique form. Its arch design resembles the Rainbow Bridge depicted in the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” making it an important physical resource for studying ancient Chinese stone arch bridges, with significant historical and scientific value.

There is also a touching local legend about this bridge. It is said that Xu Qiao, a famous minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, who strongly advocated for resisting the Jin invaders and repeatedly reported the crimes of treacherous officials to the imperial court, was instead sidelined by those corrupt individuals and had to resign and return to his hometown at Xuhutang. Frustrated by his inability to serve the country and filled with sorrow and indignation, he built this Guyue Bridge—treating the Longxi Stream as the Yellow River—as a way to express his deep love for the nation and its people, as well as his resolve to cross the Yellow River and wash away the nation’s shame.

The Guyue Bridge is the earliest surviving ribbed arch stone bridge in Zhejiang Province and holds great significance for the study of the history of bridge development in China. In June 2001, it was announced by the State Council as part of the fifth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Yazhi Street Village: Located at the southern foot of Fenghuang Mountain, surrounded by mountains and blessed with beautiful scenery, Yazhi Street in Chian Town, Yiwu City, lies on flat terrain with convenient transportation. The Longxi Stream meanders through the village, with willows and osmanthus trees swaying along its banks. The area is known for its outstanding people and beautiful environment, earning it the title “Back Garden of Yiwu.” The village has 706 farming households, a population of 1,775, and over 500 migrant workers. It covers 1,430 acres of arable land and focuses mainly on eco-friendly green agriculture, serving as a production base for pollution-free agricultural products in Yiwu. It produces high-quality sugarcane, watermelon, rice, and more. The village also has over twenty individual enterprises in its industrial sector, contributing to the revitalization... Yazhi Street Village detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units