Hongming Bridge

Hongming Bridge

Hongming Bridge is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Hongming Bridge is located in Fuquan Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City, and dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

The West Kuahu Bridge was originally built during the Southern Song Dynasty, rebuilt in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, and renovated in the first year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1796). The entire bridge consists of a single-arch bridge and a three-span beam bridge, with a total length of 61 meters. The arched section is 30 meters long, with a clear span of 5.5 meters. The bridge railing is inscribed with the names and dates of those who donated for its reconstruction. The three-span beam bridge has a total length of 31 meters, divided evenly into three spans, and its current surface is covered with cement. About 5 meters north of the arched bridge stands a small single-span beam bridge called “Tongyan Bridge,” which forms a “7” shape with the plane of the West Kuahu Bridge. The side railings bear inscriptions indicating renovations carried out during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty. In 2011, the Zhejiang Provincial Government designated the West Kuahu Bridge as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. Hongming Bridge is situated at the confluence of Xushan River and Xuanshanmenqian River in Xushan Village, Fuquan Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing. Its construction date is unknown, but it was rebuilt during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. It consists of a main bridge and an approach bridge. The main bridge is located to the north, and the approach bridge to the south; both are stone beam bridges, and their layout is roughly in a “Z” shape, with a total length of 58 meters. The main bridge has four piers and five spans, running from north to south, with the middle span being the longest at 4.91 meters and a rise of 2.8 meters. Between this central span and the adjacent north and south spans, there are four steps on each side. The bridge deck is paved longitudinally with triple-layered stone beams, and the very center of the middle span features a shallow relief carving of two dragons playing with a pearl on the bottom stone. Stone solid railings are installed on both the east and west sides of the bridge deck, with spacer columns between the railings on the middle span. The piers and the northern abutment are constructed with staggered stone slabs, topped with cap stones to support the bridge deck. The upper part of the northern abutment also has five steps. The approach bridge has five piers and five spans, forming a right-angle shape. The first four spans run east to west, while the last span turns to run north to south. The bridge deck is paved with double-layered stone beams, and stone railings are installed on both sides. On the west side of the last span’s bridge deck, the characters “古虹明桥” (Ancient Hongming Bridge) are inscribed in regular script on the side of a stone railing. The piers and southern abutment share the same structure as the main bridge, and some pier stone slabs are inscribed with names such as “Craftsman Chen Xietaang.”

Hongming Bridge features a winding and uniquely shaped structure, providing rare and valuable physical material for the study of ancient bridges in Shaoxing. It was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection site in December 2002 and as a county-level cultural relics protection unit in March 2012.

On January 13, 2017, the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government listed it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units