Ding Sheng Bridge at Xizha, Wuzhen

Ding Sheng Bridge at Xizha, Wuzhen

At the widest point of the city river in Xizha, Wuzhen, there is a three-arch stone bridge that spans the river, connecting Zhao Ming Academy and Ling Shui Residence. This is the locally very famous Ding Sheng Bridge.

Ding Sheng Bridge is a three-arch round stone bridge, with a total length of 24.1 meters, a clear span of 12 meters, and a bridge deck width of 2.4 meters. It is the highest bridge in the Xizha scenic area. Legend has it that among the Eight Immortals, Lü Dongbin once sold glutinous rice balls at Yingjia Bridge in Wuzhen and sold “sticky rice cakes” in Xizha. However, his way of selling cakes was quite unusual—large cakes with filling cost one coin for three pieces, while small cakes without filling cost three coins for one piece. As a result, many people rushed to buy the large cakes. However, one scholar who was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination saw this and bought a small, unfilled, and half-cooked cake for just three coins. Passersby laughed at him for being foolish, but the scholar said, “Do not greedily seize cheap deals when you encounter them, nor shy away from helping when you see trouble. Unusual appearances, prices, and items all have their own reasoning.” Upon hearing this, Lü Dongbin immediately gave him ten words: “The raw cake is not strange; the strangeness lies in the cake being made today.” A month later, the scholar surprisingly passed the imperial examination as the top scholar (zhuangyuan) and came to understand the deeper meaning. When he rode back to this bridge and shared his strange encounter with the local residents, they finally realized that the “raw cake” and “cake born today” were metaphors for “rising” and “promotion (gao sheng),” and advised everyone not to seek cheap advantages and to be willing to help others.

Address: Inside Xizha Scenic Area, Wuzhen, Tongxiang City, Jiaxing

Type: Historic Bridge

Recommended Visiting Time: About 20–30 minutes

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Xizha Scenic Area ticket. Xizha ticket is 120 RMB, and the combined East & West Zha ticket is 150 RMB.