Find Mother Bridge

Find Mother Bridge

The 1915 edition of the Revised Mengcheng County Annals records that Zaomu Bridge was located ninety li southeast of the county seat, marking the southeastern border. It connected to the south with Fengtai County and to the east with Huaiyuan County, where the boundaries of the three counties met. A stele was erected there, and locals referred to it as Find Mother Bridge.

Legend has it that a couple had a son named Zhu Shan only when they were both nearly forty years old. The Zhu family lived a simple life of farming and weaving—though poor, the couple was devoted to each other, and their son was smart and adorable. Their little family lived a happy and harmonious life.

When Zhu Shan was just three years old, war broke out. His father was conscripted to the front lines and soon died on the battlefield. Zhu Shan’s mother fled with her son among the refugee crowds. The mother and son were separated in the chaos. Amid the turmoil, Zhu Shan was taken in by a wealthy local family, given an education, and eventually passed the imperial examinations as a Jinshi in his twenties. He became a county magistrate in a southern region and married the daughter of the wealthy family. He governed diligently and cared for the people, earning widespread acclaim and deep affection from the locals.

He also had a son, who was very lively and adorable. Looking at his son reminded him of himself, which made him miss his own mother even more. Determined to find her, his virtuous and supportive wife encouraged him. He petitioned his superior to resign in order to search for his mother. Touched by his filial piety, his superior submitted a request to the imperial court, which granted him permission to retire and embark on the search.

So Zhu Shan set off on his journey to find his mother. After eight long and arduous years, he finally arrived at the border area where Mengcheng, Huaiyuan, and Fengtai counties meet. Someone told him that by the Qian River, in a dilapidated temple, lived a half-mad, half-blind old woman who constantly called out, “Shan’er, Shan’er.”

Zhu Shan rushed to the ruined temple and finally found his mother, whom he had lost for over twenty years. Mother and son embraced, weeping uncontrollably, deeply moving all who witnessed the reunion.

It turned out that after being separated from her son, Zhu Shan’s mother had fled all the way to the banks of the Qian River, where she fell ill and took shelter in the ruined temple. With the help of kind locals, she managed to survive there, barely clinging to life.

Deeply grateful to the local people for saving his mother’s life, Zhu Shan hosted a grand feast for three days to thank them. Noticing that there was no bridge over the Qian River, making travel across the river difficult, he purchased high-quality jujube wood and built a large bridge over the river.

To honor Zhu Shan’s filial devotion, people named the bridge Find Mother Bridge.