Kangle Bridge

Kangle Bridge

Kangle Bridge, also known as Yuying Bridge or Dingtian Bridge, is located 5,500 meters northeast of the county town and spans the Shu River. The bridge features four piers and five arches, with a total length of 98 meters, a width of 7 meters, and a height of 8.5 meters. It is constructed from bluestone, with brick parapet walls. The one-way boat-shaped piers are 3.5 meters high, the arch spans measure 15 meters each, and the arch rings are composed of nine layered single arches. A pair of stone-carved lion remnants stands at the bridgeheads. In the seventh year of the Zhiyuan era during the Yuan Dynasty (1347), Monk Pianyun raised funds and Long Xiang oversaw its construction. It was named after Marquis Kangle (Xie Lingyun) and inscribed by Scholar Ouyang Yuan. In the early years of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1573), Prefect Zheng Dun Dian ordered renovations and renamed it “Yuying Bridge.” In the forty-sixth year of the Wanli era (1618), Magistrate Yao Jisun led local residents to reinforce the piers with stone, build long-span structures, and erect pavilions atop them, setting aside official farmland to fund future repairs. In the eighth year of the Chongzhen era (1635), County Magistrate Wei Mingjie relocated nearby land and fields. In the seventeenth year (1644), the bridge was destroyed but the piers remained, so ferries replaced it. In the fifth year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1727), local residents donated funds to dismantle and rebuild the bridge, completing it in the ninth year (1731). It underwent multiple repairs in the thirtieth year of the Daoguang era (1850) and the eighth year of the Tongzhi era (1869). In the winter of 1974, the bridge deck was paved with asphalt. In 1986, further modifications were made, including repairs to the parapet walls and the addition of cement pedestrian walkways over one meter wide on both sides. Kangle Bridge served as a vital crossing on the route from Wanzai to Yifeng and Tonggu, with hundreds of vehicles — including large trucks weighing dozens of tons — passing over it daily, showcasing the exceptional bridge-building skills of ancient laborers. After the reconstruction of the Fangxi–Wanzai Highway in 2004, a new road bridge was built, and since then, Kangle Bridge has seen very little vehicle traffic.