Fengqu Bridge

Fengqu Bridge

Fengqu Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Fengqu Bridge is located 300 meters above Dongshan Baibu’an in Dongshan Village, Tong’an Township, Yifeng County, Jiangxi Province.

Constructed in the fifth year of Shaosheng during the Northern Song Dynasty (1098), Fengqu Bridge has a history of nearly a thousand years. It is the third ancient Song Dynasty bridge in Jiangxi Province. The bridge was donated by Lei Sishisan-niang, wife of Zhang Zhongshu from Tong’an, and her son Yu Xi, who used their savings from gleaning rice grains to commemorate Chan Master Liangjia’s enlightenment here. Since then, the local Zhang and Lei families have flourished, producing many talented individuals. Lei Sishisan-niang’s direct descendant even rose to the position of Left Prime Minister, and there were no lawsuits within the family—leading to the belief that the bridge brought blessings due to its construction. The bridge’s name was inscribed by Qian Mao, the county magistrate at the time. On the underside of the arch, an inscription reads: “In the Shaosheng year of the Wuyin era, Lei Sishisan-niang, wife of Zhang Zhongshu from Tong’an, and her son Yu Xi donated this bridge. The monk Fan Yan oversaw its construction. Inscribed by Hui Song.” On the other side of the arch, another stone bears the words: “Lei, wife of Zhang Zhongshu, donated this bridge, wishing for the elimination of sins and the blessing of longevity.” Additionally, the bridge foundation contains dozens of characters mainly documenting the donation amounts made by descendants of the Zhang family during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era for the bridge’s restoration.

The bridge’s arch is composed of seven vertical single arches arranged in parallel, with each arch made of 11 granite blocks. Seventy-seven rectangular stones are arranged in seven columns to form the load-bearing arch slab, with each column interconnected both vertically and horizontally. Two stone-carved warriors stand on the arch shoulders as guardian deities. The bridge is 15 meters long, 4.7 meters wide, with a clear span of 4.2 meters and an arch rise of 2.1 meters, classifying it as a steep arch. The bottom stone of the bridge arch is inscribed with the construction date, as well as the names of donors and chief builders. The three characters “Fengqu Bridge” were inscribed by County Magistrate Qian Mao, inspired by the poem “Fengqu Ji” written by Chan Master Liangjia upon his first arrival at Dongshan, where he encountered his own reflection while wading through water.

Dongshan Village: Dongshan Village…… More details about Dongshan Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units