Bihuan Bridge

Bihuan Bridge

Bihuan Bridge is a Yinzhou District cultural heritage site.

Bihuan Bridge is located in Renjiu Village, Wuxiang Town, Yinzhou District, and was designated as a district-level cultural heritage site on April 5, 2005.

Bihuan Bridge was built during the Ming Dynasty. Located in Jiatang Village, Wuxiang Town, it is a single-arch stone bridge. The bridge is 11 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, and the approach at either end is 4 meters wide. Both sides of the bridge deck feature carved lotus-leaf balustrades, with five panels on each side. Between the panels, there are six balusters on each side, with lotus carvings on the tops—ranging from double-layered, upward-facing, to encircling lotuses. At the bridge approach, there are drum-shaped stones adorned with cloud patterns. The bridge opening, spanning just 2 meters, is wide enough for medium-sized boats to pass through. The bridge foundation and walls are built with long flagstones laid in an interlocking pattern, with block stones lining the base. The arch is constructed from large, 1-meter-high and 0.6-meter-wide stones arranged in four sections side by side, forming a semi-circular arch that exceeds a half-circle, classified as a “steep arch” type. Experts note that this “longitudinally jointed and segmented parallel construction method” offers excellent resistance to external forces. The keystone at the top of the arch bears an inscribed rectangular plaque with the bridge’s name “Bihuan Bridge” written in regular script. The upper inscription reads “Jiajing Guisi Year (1534),” and the lower one states “Constructed in mid-winter.” As a result, this over 460-year-old stone arch bridge remains remarkably well-preserved today, thanks to its unique structure and the semi-enclosed, family-private setting in which it sits.

Though not large in scale, the bridge is exquisitely built with fine carvings and a verified construction date, making it one of the valuable ancient bridges in Yinzhou District.