Bailiang Bridge

Bailiang Bridge

Bailiang Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Upon first seeing the Bailiang Covered Bridge, one cannot help but be moved by this well-preserved and majestic ancient bridge. The covered bridge resembles a giant black dragon lying across the 100-meter-wide middle reaches of the Yin River, located in Huijiang Village, Dongqiao Township, Yinxian County.

The Yin River, anciently called the Little Stream River or Lan River, originates from Yinxian Town, known as the “Lock of Siming.” It flows past the Bailiang Covered Bridge where it meets the Fenghua River and continues on to the Sanjiangkou area. From the 4th year of the Long’an era during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (400 AD) to the 1st year of the Changqing era in the Tang Dynasty (821 AD)—a span of 421 years—Yinxian Town was once the county seat of the ancient Mingzhou County, overseeing five counties: Cixi, Yinxian, Fenghua, Xiangshan, and Wengshan (Dinghai).

In the 1st year of the Shenlong era of the Tang Dynasty (705 AD), a “floating bridge” made by connecting over ten boats was constructed in Huijiang Village by the Little Stream River. This movable pontoon bridge became an important passage connecting the ancient Ming County with southern Zhejiang. The Shengshou Temple at the northern end of the floating bridge served as a resting place for travelers. To this day, a stone pagoda inscribed with the Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra from the 4th year of the Huichang era (833 AD) during the Tang Dynasty is preserved at the Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo, and a carved stone Buddha from the top section of the pagoda is kept within the village.

However, this “floating bridge” was frequently destroyed by floods over the course of 250 years. In the 1st year of the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1078 AD), under the direction of local figures Zhu Wenwei and his son Zhu Yongzhi, a wooden beam bridge spanning 100 meters in length, 7 meters in width, and 10 meters in height was built. It had six piers and seven spans. Since 14 large logs with a diameter of 50 centimeters were laid as beams for each of the six central openings, and 16 wooden beams for the middle opening, totaling 100 beams, the bridge came to be named “Bailiang Bridge” (Hundred Beam Bridge). The bridge deck was paved with thick chestnut wood planks, and a 27-room tiled roofed corridor was built atop it. The roof of the corridor was supported by 132 pillars, and long benches lining both sides provided places for travelers to rest. The center of the bridge corridor served as a pathway for pedestrians and rickshaws. From the bridge, one could look west toward the Siming mountain range and east toward the rivers and fields.

The Bailiang Covered Bridge, with its protective corridor shielding the wooden beams, along with the huge stone piers shaped like pointed boat heads at both ends, effectively withstood over a hundred floods and tidal surges. Seventy years later, in the 14th year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the bridge was destroyed by the Jin army. A year later, the bridge was rebuilt to its original form by the descendants of the Zhu family—Zhu Shimi and his brothers—along with the villagers. It was later reconstructed twice more: once in the 24th year of the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1365 AD) and again in the 8th year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1472 AD). During the Qing Dynasty, in the Jiaqing, Xianfeng, and Guangxu eras, it underwent multiple renovations, and the Bailiang Covered Bridge continued to serve as a vital conduit for travelers moving north and south.

In the 20th century, with the completion of the Yuanzhen Bridge downstream on the Yin River, the Bailiang Covered Bridge lost its former status as the key “Yin-Feng Passage,” gradually fading into obscurity. Other than the villagers nearby, it was almost forgotten by the wider world.

In the 1980s, this largest covered bridge in eastern Zhejiang was designated as a cultural relic, becoming a focal point for research on ancient bridge engineering and tourism development. After undergoing multiple restorations, the Bailiang Covered Bridge has regained new vitality. It currently measures 77 meters in length and 8 meters in width, with 124 wooden beams beneath it, yet it retains the name “Bailiang” (Hundred Beams). A humorous couplet was even composed linking it with the Seven Pagodas Temple in the city area: “Seven Pagodas Temple, seven pagodas, each pagoda faces the sky while the sky faces each pagoda; Hundred Beam Bridge, hundred beams, each beam reflects the water while the water reflects each beam.”

Address: Bailiang Village, Dongqiao Township, Yinzhou District, Ningbo City

Type: Bridge

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Opening hours:

Open all day

Ticket information:

Free admission.

Yinxian Town: Located at the eastern foot of Siming Mountain, Yinxian Town is a major town on the western edge of the Yinxii Plain and a historic and cultural town with a heritage of thousands of years. It lies 25 kilometers from downtown Ningbo. To the east, it connects with Dongqiao Town and Gulin Town; to the west, with Zhangshui Town and Longguan Township; to the south, with Fenghua’s Jiangkou and Xiaowangmiao; and to the north, with Hengjie Town. It stretches 5 kilometers from east to west and 10 kilometers from north to south. The Yongjin Expressway runs nearby, the district-level Heliang Highway passes through the center of town, while the Yinheng Highway and Luyin Branch Road run directly from north to south. It is just minutes away from Ningbo Lishe Airport and the Hangzhou–Ningbo Expressway. The town covers an administrative area of 95,879 mu (approximately 63.9 square kilometers) and governs 12... [More detailed information about Yinxian Town]

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province