Shuxi Bridge

Shuxi Bridge

Shuxi Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Among existing ancient bridges, Shuxi Bridge is hailed as a “marvel of the Jiangnan region.” Located in the county seat of Wuyi, it is recorded in both the *History of Chinese Bridges* and the *Dictionary of Scenic Spots in China*, and is a key cultural relic protection unit of our province.

Shuxi Bridge spans the Shuxi River in Wuyang Town. The current structure was rebuilt in 1946 to replicate its original design from the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era. It is a wooden and stone covered bridge. Running north-south, it crosses the Shuxi River. The bridge is 140 meters long, with a deck width of 4.80 meters and an overall height of 13.40 meters. It features nine arches and ten piers, with cutwaters facing the upstream flow. The piers are 4.40 meters high. The largest span has a clear opening of about 12 meters. The bridge has 49 bridge chambers, with a three-bay pavilion featuring a double-eave hip-and-gable roof set in the center. Both ends have stepped ramps. On June 23, 2000, due to heavy rainfall and rapid currents, Shuxi Bridge collapsed. The restoration project was completed in May 2001.

In the middle section of Shuxi Bridge, the deck is widened and features a two-story pavilion with a double-eave roof and upturned eaves, named Suifeng Pavilion. The plaque of “Suifeng Pavilion” was inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Sha Menghai. The covered bridge also displays many valuable plaques and couplets left by famous calligraphers.

History: Shuxi Bridge was first built in the third year of the Kaixi era during the Southern Song Dynasty, funded by Shi Zongyu, the local official of Wuyi, who contributed his salary to raise the money. Over the past eight hundred years, the bridge has endured many trials. During the Japanese invasion of China, the bridge chambers were dismantled to lay railway tracks and transport fluorite illegally. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the bridge was restored.

Shuxi Bridge is a wooden structure with a double-eave hip-and-gable roof. Below the bridge are nine arches and ten piers, and the bridge body resembles a long corridor, stretching 140 meters in length and 4.8 meters in width. A towering pavilion with upturned eaves stands in the middle of the bridge, creating a magnificent sight.

The pillars and beams of the bridge feature calligraphy by masters such as Sha Menghai, each with its own distinctive style. The sides of the bridge chambers are connected by benches, providing a resting place for pedestrians—truly a scene where “one seems to see people passing beneath the bridge, as if boats are gliding through a mirror.”

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province