Deer Cave Bridge

Deer Cave Bridge

Deer Cave Bridge is located in Zhangshi Village, Zhenhai District, Ningbo City (formerly in front of the main gate of Zhangshi Temple), and was discovered during the third cultural relics survey in 2000. No bridge name or specific construction date is visible on the structure, nor is it recorded in any historical materials.

This is a high-arched, single-span flat bridge, constructed entirely from long stone slabs. The total height of the bridge is 5 meters, the arch is 4 meters high, the deck is 4 meters wide, and the span is 4.6 meters. It spans the Baibu Stream from north to south, connecting to Baibu Steps in the south and the former site of Zhangshi Temple in the north. Zhangshi Temple was established during the Tang Dynasty, and in the fourth year of the Tian Sheng era of the Song Dynasty (1026), a monk from Tiantong Temple came to serve as head monk, turning it into a Zen monastery. The surrounding area of the temple ruins now features many cliff inscriptions and historic sites dating back to the Song Dynasty. The bridge is situated just south of the temple’s main gate and historically served as a main access route to Zhangshi Temple. Experts have inferred, based on the bridge’s architectural style and the preserved condition of its surroundings, that it may have been built during the Song Dynasty. In May 2005, it was designated as a cultural relics protection site at the Yinzhou District level, and in 2016, following an administrative division adjustment in Ningbo, it was placed under the jurisdiction of Haishu District.

Zhangshi Village: Zhangshi 1 Village... More details about Zhangshi Village++