Yunlong Bridge

Yunlong Bridge

Yunlong Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

Yunlong Bridge is located at the Jiefang Road Neighborhood Committee in Xianghu Town, Ruijin City, beside Yanjiang Road to the south of the urban area, spanning the Mian River from north to south. During the Song Dynasty, it was a pontoon bridge named "Mianfu"; in the 19th year of the Ming Jiajing era (1540), it was rebuilt as a stone-pierred wooden-beam bridge. It was renamed "Yunlong Bridge" because it “stood at the boundary of Qingyun Square and crossed Longchi (Dragon Pool).” In the 36th year of the Qing Kangxi reign (1697), it was reconstructed into a red stone arch bridge with twelve piers and eleven spans, measuring 117.52 meters in total length, 5 meters in width, and 9.3 meters in height. During the Second Revolutionary Civil War period, Yunlong Bridge served as a key passage connecting the Red Capital Ruijin to various Soviet counties in Fujian. Founding leaders of the People’s Republic such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, and Deng Xiaoping frequently traveled across this bridge. In 1960, Dong Biwu, representing the Central People’s Government, visited Ruijin to offer condolences and revisited Yunlong Bridge, composing the famous lines: “The Mian River flows freely around the city walls, and from Yunlong Bridge one can gaze in admiration...” In 1988, the cultural relics authorities of Ruijin City and some retired cadres initiated a campaign to restore the long-collapsed Yunlong Bridge. The restoration followed the original design, took three years, cost over 600,000 yuan, and was completed in 1991. Wang Zhen, then Vice President of the country, showed great concern for the bridge’s restoration and personally inscribed the five characters “Ruijin Yunlong Bridge” as its name.

Yunlong Bridge boasts a long history and unique scenery. From atop the bridge, four of Ruijin’s Eight Scenic Spots can be admired: to the east, the Double Rivers Embracing the Moon where the Mian River and Gong River converge; to the south, the Three Pagodas Piercing the Sky atop Brushholder Hill; to the west, the Floating Mist Boats and Dragon Pearl Pagoda; and to the north, the Deep Ridge Plum Blossoms—forming a captivating panorama. According to the Ruijin County Annals, “Its grandeur and continuous span rival those of the Precious Belt Bridge in Wu, the Wan’an Bridge in Fujian, and the Guangji Bridge in Chao.” The bridge once served as a vital north-south thoroughfare. Its ingenious design, premium materials, and masterful construction endow it with high artistic value.

Xianghu Town: Located in the central part of Ruijin City, Xianghu Town is the seat of the Ruijin Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it earned the name Xianghu (Elephant Lake) due to its elephant-shaped terrain and numerous ponds. The town covers an area of 34.5 square kilometers (with an urban area of 18 square kilometers), encompassing 8 administrative villages, 11 communities, 247 neighborhood groups, and a total population of 235,000, including 39,000 agricultural residents. The Town Party Committee oversees 1 general branch and 28 party branches, with 2,253 party members. The local economy mainly focuses on logistics and warehousing, tourism services, masonry construction, construction machinery, garment processing, and vegetable farming.

… More details about Xianghu Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units