Jinggong Bridge and Jinggong Pond

Jinggong Bridge and Jinggong Pond

Jinggong Bridge and Jinggong Pond

Jinggong Bridge and Jinggong Pond are located about half a kilometer west of Shangchi Village, in the midst of fields and terraces. It is said to have been originally built during the Song Dynasty to commemorate Wang Jinggong—hence the name. The original bridge was destroyed. The 1931 revised edition of the *Wang Family Genealogy* by Shangchi Village contains an essay titled *Record of the Reconstruction of Jinggong Bridge* written by the late Ming scholar Wang Ji. The bridge runs east-west, spanning Longxi Lane. It was first built in the Song Dynasty. Running east-west across Longxi Harbor, it is a stone bridge with two piers and three arches, measuring 14 meters in length and 1.2 meters in width. In those days, Wang Anshi is said to have traveled over this bridge in his carriage on his way back to his hometown, and he left behind a poem titled *Evening Mist over Longxi* as a memento. Originally, there was a large stone stele at the head of the bridge inscribed with the five characters “Shangchi Jinggong Bridge,” which stood over three meters tall, but it has now disappeared. However, a carved stone from the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty inscribed with the *Record of Jinggong Bridge* still remains, though the text has faded and become difficult to discern. Jinggong Pond refers to the small water reservoir beneath the bridge, which local villagers now call “Xibitan.” The remnants of both Jinggong Bridge and Jinggong Pond are still extant. Their locations are also marked on the old base map of Shangchi Village.