Ancient Stone Bridge in Shanggao

Ancient Stone Bridges in Shanggao

The Ancient Stone Bridges in Shanggao are cultural heritage sites protected at the Jiangxi Provincial level.

Ancient Stone Bridges in Shanggao (including Meisha Bridge, Yuanxin Hongkou Bridge, and Aoshan Shihong Bridge)

Meisha Bridge: Also known as Jinsuo Bridge, it is located in Meisha Village, Nangang Town, Shanggao County, Jiangxi Province. Built during the Ming Dynasty, it is a three-arch stone bridge. It was renovated in the 20th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty by the Li family. This bridge is the only surviving ancient bridge with a bridge pavilion and has been listed as a provincial-level key protected ancient architectural structure.

It is said that when the bridge was first built, it was called “Jinsuo Bridge.” At some point, because it was located in Meisha Village, people gradually forgot its formal name and started calling it “Meisha Bridge” out of habit. Meisha Bridge was proposed for construction during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era by Li Zhenghua, a native of the village who once served as the magistrate of Gaoyou.

Aoshan Shihong Bridge is located in Aoshan Town, Shanggao County. Built during the Qing Dynasty, this bridge uniquely combines both waterway and flood-diversion functions in one structure. Such dual-function bridges are rare in Jiangxi and even scarcer among ancient bridges nationwide, making it of significant cultural heritage value.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units