Artificial Hill Bridge

Artificial Hill Bridge

The Artificial Hill Bridge is a cultural heritage site protected by Wenling City.

The Artificial Hill Bridge is said to have been originally built during the Song Dynasty and was later renovated during the Ming and Qing dynasties as well as the Republican era. Located on Xialu Road near the corridor in Zezhou Town, Wenling City, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, it spans the Zhonghe River from north to south and is a single-arch stone bridge. The bridge is 12 meters long and 2.42 meters wide, with the arch constructed from blue-gray stone slabs laid in a radial pattern. At the center of the bridge stands a plaque inscribed with calligraphy, and each side has 12 steps. Stone balusters and railings stand on both sides of the bridge deck, with six balusters on each side and five railing panels per side. The tops of the balusters are mostly carved with lotus motifs in relief, while the railings are exquisitely engraved—some with designs of lotus ponds, others with peonies and phoenixes, adorned with butterflies, bats, ruyi symbols, and geometric patterns, resembling traditional Chinese paintings. The railings on the east and west sides differ slightly: those on the east are more roughly carved, while those on the west are finer and more ornate. It is said that the bridge railings were jointly built by the natural villages on either side of the river, hence their distinctive styles. Inscriptions can be found on the railings and arch stones. At each end of the railing panels are embedded drum stones, which are carved with dragon motifs—the dragon heads intricately sculpted, with the bodies and tails flowing naturally along the shape of the drum stones, creating a vivid effect. On the middle panel of the railing on the eastern side of the bridge is inscribed “Erected on the Chrysanthemum Month Day of the Sixth Year of the Republic of China,” and beneath the central arch stone is a smaller inscription reading “Built in the Chrysanthemum Month.” The bridge’s structure is intact and its craftsmanship refined, making it one of the oldest surviving stone arch bridges in the area with high artistic and historical value. Zezhou Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Wenling City. Established as Zezhou Town in 1949, it was reorganized as a commune in 1958, reinstated as a town in 1959, and in 1992, merged with four townships—Guangming, Xiazheng, Chashan, and Fengcheng. Located in the northern part of the city, it is 16 kilometers from the municipal government. Covering an area of 36 square kilometers with a population of 67,000, the town intersects with National Highway 104 and the Zekan Road, and is traversed by the Yuehe River waterway. It administers eight neighborhood committees: Shangjie, Xialu, Shizijie, Juandongqiao, Dingzijie, Qianjie, Xingfu, and Hushan, as well as the villages of Zenan, Shanxiachen, Buxiang, Changjing, Houlu, Qianlu, Xiayangqiao, Xiaolianchen, Louxia, Xiahuitou, Guangming, … More detailed information about Zezhou Town ++