Wuyi Shuxi Covered Bridge

Wuyi Shuxi Covered Bridge

Known as the “ancestor of Chinese covered bridges,” Wuyi’s Shuxi Bridge is 800 years old this year. Some call covered bridges the “living fossils” of the world’s bridges.

The ancient Shuxi Bridge was first built in the third year of the Kaixi era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1207), featuring nine arches and ten piers. By the fourth year of the Wanli era in the Ming Dynasty (1576), bridge houses were added, turning it into a sheltered covered bridge. The bridge is 140 meters long and 4.8 meters wide, with 49 bridge houses and benches placed at intervals along both sides for visitors to rest. The benches divide the bridge into three passageways—historically, pedestrians walked on the sides while carts and horses used the middle, but now only pedestrians are allowed for sightseeing. The sides of the bridge are equipped with distinctive Jiangnan-style wooden railings that are both safe and attractive. Leaning on the railings, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the small town’s scenery. “A hundred-foot rainbow locks the blue stream, reed marshes and sandy banks lie pure in the cold autumn… From afar, boats glide beneath the bridge, making one feel as if wandering in a mirror.” These lines are from the ancient poet Xu Si Zhao’s poem “Ode to Shuxi Bridge.” Since the bridge’s completion, many scholars and literati have written poems about it, including a long poem titled “Visiting Shuxi Bridge” by the Republican-era poet He Baoren.

Source: China Jinhua Government Portal Website