Jiangdong Bridge

Jiangdong Bridge

Jiangdong Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jiangdong Bridge, a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Known in ancient times as Hudu Bridge and also called Tongji Bridge, it is a multi-span beam-style stone bridge located at the border of Longwen District and Longhai City in Zhangzhou, Fujian, spanning the lower reaches of the Beixi (Northern Stream) of the Jiulong River. The site lies where the Beixi and Xixi (Western Stream) of the Jiulong River converge and flow into the sea, flanked by steep mountains on both banks, with wide and fast-flowing waters—a strategically perilous location historically referred to as the “thoroughfare connecting three provinces.” Legend has it that during the initial construction of the bridge, the bridge piers repeatedly failed to stand firm. One day, a tigress was spotted crossing the river with her cubs, and the builders followed her path to locate submerged rocks in the water. They then built the piers directly atop these rocks, stabilizing the structure—hence the name Hudu (Tiger Crossing) Bridge. Meanwhile, Volume Six of the Zhangzhou Prefecture Records states that the site “lies in the direction of the Tiger (Yin) in the region, hence named Hudu (Tiger Crossing).”

In the first year of the Shaoyou era of the Song Dynasty (1190), a pontoon bridge was erected here. In the seventh year of the Jiading era (1214), Zhuang Xia, the regional governor and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, initiated the construction of a wooden bridge on stone piers. In the first year of the Jiari era (1237), the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire. Subsequently, upon the proposal of Zhangzhou Prefect Li Shao, a beam-style stone bridge was completed. The Longxi County Annals recorded this stone bridge as being “20 feet wide and 2,000 feet long,” with “fifteen spans.” In 1970, a reinforced concrete highway bridge was built on top of the ancient bridge. Today, beneath the western section of the highway bridge, five intact ancient bridge piers, two bridge deck sections, nine remnant pier foundations, and parts of the eastern and western retaining walls remain, with a total surviving length of 100.35 meters. The bridge piers were constructed by layering oblique-cut stone slabs measuring 0.35×0.4×5.2 meters in a staggered pattern, shaped like ship prows, with an overall length of 11.4 meters and width of 5.3 meters. Between the piers, each span was paved with 3–5 stone beams to form the bridge deck.

Each stone beam of Jiangdong Bridge measures 22 to 23 meters in length, 1.15 to 1.5 meters in width, 1.3 to 1.6 meters in thickness, and weighs nearly 200 tons. This represents a great innovation in bridge engineering and a marvel in the history of bridge construction worldwide. Chinese bridge expert Mao Yisheng, in his April 3, 1962 article “China’s Stone Arch Bridges” published in the People’s Daily, stated: “The Chinese working people have made many creative achievements in architectural techniques, especially in lifting and hoisting, employing unexpected methods. For example, Jiangdong Bridge in Zhangzhou, Fujian, built 800 years ago, features some stone beams weighing around 200 tons each—how they were installed remains largely unknown to this day.” Dr. Joseph Needham of the University of Cambridge also mentioned in his book Science and Civilisation in China: “Jiangdong Bridge presents an intriguing historical puzzle.” In the first chapter of the book Ancient Chinese Architecture, edited by Luo Zhewen and published as part of a cultural relics teaching series by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, it is noted: “The 200-ton stone beams of Hudu Bridge still amaze people today as to how the craftsmen managed to hoist them onto the raging currents.”

On June 25, 2001, Jiangdong Bridge, as an ancient Song Dynasty structure, was approved by the State Council to be included in the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units