Xiuning Dengfeng Bridge

Xiuning Dengfeng Bridge

Xiuning Dengfeng Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

Dengfeng Bridge is located in Xiuning County, Huangshan City, and dates back to the Ming Dynasty.

The bridge is situated in Xiuning County and acts as the necessary passage to Mount Qiyun, one of China’s Four Sacred Taoist Mountains. Because of this, the bridge has also come to be regarded as an auspicious place, with the folk saying: "A glance from Dengfeng Bridge brings far-reaching fortune; a walk across it extends life to ninety-nine years." In the 53rd year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1788), the bridge was completely destroyed by a flood, leaving not a single stone intact. Hu Xuezhi from Xidi Village in Yi County funded the complete reconstruction on his own. During the Republican era, the bridge was repaired using thirty thousand kilograms of rice donated by local residents.

The bridge features eight piers and nine arches, with the piers shaped like boats. The spacing between the arches is 14 meters, the total length is 147 meters, the width is 8 meters, and the height is 9.5 meters. The approach spans at both ends are each 16 meters long, and the entire structure is built from bluestone. The bridge deck is paved with flat stone slabs, and stone railings about 0.9 meters high stand on both sides. The arch rings are semi-circular fixed-end arches. There used to be pavilions and temples on the bridge, but they have since been destroyed. At the southern end of the bridge stands a two-pillar memorial archway inscribed with the three large characters “登封桥” (Dengfeng Bridge). At the northern end, there is a Qing Dynasty “Junshi” (Prohibition) stele erected by the Huizhou Prefecture government, bearing the full text: "Pushing carts, drying or beating items, and polluting the area are strictly prohibited; sharpening knives on the bridge stones is not allowed; fishing near the bridge foot is forbidden. Should anyone dare to violate these rules, they will surely be caught and punished without leniency."

In 2012, Dengfeng Bridge was announced by the People's Government of Anhui Province as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relics protection units.

On October 7, 2019, Xiuning Dengfeng Bridge was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected area: 2 meters beyond the bridge foundation on the east, south, west, and north sides.

Construction control zone: 30 meters beyond the protected area on the east and west sides, and 10 meters on the south and north sides.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units