Liubu Bridge

Liubu Bridge

Liubu Bridge was built during the Southern Song Dynasty and spans the Zhonghe River. The name of this bridge is clearly marked on the topographical map of the Southern Song imperial palace. After the imperial palace at the foot of Phoenix Mountain was burned down, the only remaining above-ground structures from the palace were this Liubu Bridge and the Fengshan Water Gate. The bridge got its name because high-ranking officials of the Six Ministries — the administrative branches of the Southern Song court — had to cross this bridge when attending the morning court sessions. This ancient stone arch bridge has long been overgrown with grass along its steps.

You would never imagine that the events that took place on this bridge once accelerated the decline of an entire dynasty. Time flows silently like moonlight over a long stream, and those crossing the bridge feel only the cool breeze through their sleeves. The incident occurred between the two powerful Han and Shi clans. At the time of the incident, the Southern Song Dynasty was caught in a cycle of war and truce with the Jin forces. Han Tuozhou, a great-grandson of the Northern Song general Han Qi and also a member of the royal family, rose to a high official position and wielded more power than the Left and Right Chancellors — all because of his role in supporting Emperor Ningzong’s ascension. This drew the hatred of another powerful official, Shi Miyuan. Though arrogant, Han Tuozhou strongly advocated resisting the Jin. He urged Emperor Ningzong to posthumously honor Yue Fei as Prince of E, and changed the title Qin Hui had been given after his death — “Prince Shen” — to the derogatory “Prince Miu Chou,” finally bringing some solace to the injustice that had occurred at the Wind and Wave Pavilion. To support the resistance against the Jin, Han Tuozhou donated 200,000 taels of his own silver as military funds. Unfortunately, the northern campaigns he championed suffered repeated defeats, leaving the Southern Song Dynasty in turmoil. At this time, Shi Miyuan, who favored peace, took the opportunity to launch a coup with the support of Empress Yang. He stationed 300 ambush troops on both sides of Liubu Bridge, and when Han Tuozhou was on his way to court, they launched a surprise attack and killed him with an iron whip. Han Tuozhou’s head was placed in a wooden box and sent to the Jin camp as a show of the rulers’ determination to sue for peace. Shi Miyuan, along with Qin Hui and Jia Sidao, is regarded by historians as one of the “Three Great Traitors.” After the “Liubu Bridge Incident,” the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty saw the sun rising behind the hills of West Lake on fewer and fewer days.