Fuzhou Wanshou Bridge

Fuzhou Wanshou Bridge

Fuzhou Wanshou Bridge is a protected cultural heritage site of Fuzhou City.

Wanshou Bridge is located on the Min River between Cangshan District and Taijiang District. It starts from Zhongting Street in Taijiang to the north, passes through Zhongzhou Island in the middle, and connects to Guanjin Road in Cangqian to the south. It is the world’s oldest bridge to span such a large river. Locally in Fuzhou, it is commonly known as “the Big Bridge.” The bridge was first built in the seventh year of the Yuandade era and completed in the second year of the Zhi reign. It underwent multiple renovations during the Ming dynasty’s Tianshun and Chenghua periods. In the early Qing dynasty, the Jiangnan Bridge was rebuilt into a full-stone structure identical to that of Wanshou Bridge. During the Qianlong era, when it was renovated again, the master stone carver Li Zhou from Hui’an specially carved 18 uniquely styled stone lions for the bridge’s railing pillars. In the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), the Fujian Provincial Construction Department allowed cars to use the bridge, so the bridge deck of Wanshou Bridge was modified. Due to poor construction quality, it underwent another major renovation in the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945). In 1971, to facilitate navigation upstream on the Min River, one bridge pier was removed and replaced with two, and the bridge deck was raised and built over the original deck. At the same time, the bridge was renamed “Liberation Bridge.” In 1992, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site. In 1994, a flood destroyed one of the piers, leading to its demolition and reconstruction as a tied-arch suspension bridge.

Wanshou Bridge is the world’s oldest bridge to span such a large river. It runs from north to south, stretching from Lengyanzhou in the north to Zhongzhou in the south, with a total length of approximately 170 zhang. The bridge is a stone flat-beam structure with boat-shaped piers, consisting of 28 piers and 29 spans. Stone railings line both sides of the bridge, with lion carvings atop the balusters. Pavilion structures were built at both ends. The Jiangnan Bridge south of Zhongzhou was also rebuilt in the same style in the early Qing dynasty. As a result, locals commonly refer to both bridges collectively as Wanshou Bridge, with the nickname “the Big Bridge.” After Wanshou Bridge was heightened in 1971, it became a “bridge upon a bridge,” extending from Zhongting Street in Taijiang in the north to Guanjin Road in Cangqian in the south.