Liangcun River Bridge

Liangcun River Bridge

Liangcun River Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Located about 100 meters west of Liangcun in Laozhu Town, Liandu District, on the Ouchuan Stream, it is a three-edge single-arch stone bridge built in the 21st year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1542), boasting a history of over 460 years. Oriented from east to west, it has a total length of 11.95 meters, a width of 1.74 meters, a height of 3.1 meters, and a clear span of 11 meters. The bridge abutments are constructed with a mix of block stones and pebbles. The arch frame is in a V-shape, with the inclined arches made of three parallel flat slabs. The top of the arch is paved with bridge deck slabs, and the edges between the folds are secured with transverse locking stones. The bridge deck is laid with three rows and four slabs of stone sections. On the north side wall of a bridge slab is inscribed a relief seal script in Yang-style: “Constructed by Liang □, local villager, in the Renyin year of Jiajing.” The bridge is a common type of V-shaped strut stone bridge found in the mountainous regions of southern Zhejiang. Its characteristic is that the bridge feet support the deck in a V-shape, without side walls or infill on the bridge feet, allowing better flood discharge. This type of bridge adapts well to the natural conditions of mountainous areas with numerous small streams prone to flash floods. According to experts, among the ancient V-shaped strut bridges in Liandu District, this bridge is the earliest in time, the largest in scale, and most representative of mountain bridges. On February 14, 2011, it was announced as part of the Sixth Batch of Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units in Zhejiang Province. It is one of the 12 river bridges in Lishui City listed as cultural relic protection units in Zhejiang Province. From my observation: apart from the foundations at both ends of the stone bridge and the bridge deck slabs, the main structure is built from 20 stone slabs. At the western end of the bridge, there used to be a stone stele, but it has been destroyed and its identity remains unknown. The stone bridge is still currently usable for pedestrians.

Liangcun Village: Liangcun in Laozhu Town currently has nine villager groups, with 476 households and 1,482 people, including 31 Party members. The village has a total of 1,504 mu of arable land, 6,562 mu of hilly land, and 6,727 mu of forest land. About one-fifth of the farming households run businesses or supermarkets outside the village. The main income sources of the villagers are citrus fruits, rice, vegetables, and working or doing business outside. The village collective economy is relatively weak, which has posed challenges to the village’s development.

Currently, the new village dual-committee leadership team is united and highly combat-effective. In 2011, Liangcun was included in the village renovation plan. This year, renovation of dilapidated houses has begun... More detailed information on Liangcun Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Zhejiang Province