Huangzhou Bridge

Huangzhou Bridge

Huangzhou Bridge is located in Chongren County. The Chongren River runs through the county, dividing the town into two halves, and Huangzhou Bridge links the two parts together. During the Tang Dynasty, “bamboo poles were lashed together across the river for people to cross one by one; when the water rose, they would be washed away, and when the water receded, they would be repaired and put back into use.” In the Jiayou era (1056–1063) of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was replaced with a pontoon bridge. In the eighth year of the Chunyou era (1248), construction of a stone bridge began, and after 15 years it was completed but soon destroyed by fire; in the sixth year of the Xianchun era (1270), it was rebuilt, and over 40 rooms were built on the bridge deck, with gates installed at both ends of the bridge.

The three characters “Huangzhou Bridge” inscribed by Wen Tianxiang / During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the bridge was frequently damaged and repaired, and was renamed as Deping Bridge and Tianqi Bridge after the wealthy patrons who donated for its repairs. From the Shunzhi era to the 20th year of the Daoguang era (1644–1840) in the Qing Dynasty, the stone bridge was almost completely worn out, so a pontoon bridge was used instead. The wealthy philanthropist Xie Ting’en funded its reconstruction and, drawing on the experience of the Wenchang Bridge in Linchuan, cleared the riverbed and built the bridge piers on bedrock. He also adopted advanced architectural techniques of the time to improve the structure.

“From the base of the pier to the beam slot, there are 14 layers; the small projecting piers rise from the beam slot up to the edge stones, typically in 24 layers… A golden-winged duckbill structure is added in front of the pier to break the force of the current.” The bridge is 139 meters long and very sturdy. During the Republican era, it was once renamed Zhongzheng Bridge, but due to years of neglect and lack of maintenance, it fell into disrepair. In 1965, Huangzhou Bridge was expanded into an eight-pier, nine-span reinforced concrete bridge, with the deck widened to 10 meters, pedestrian walkways added on both sides, and ornate railings and hanging lamps installed. In 1969, the bridge piers were damaged by severe flooding, but were later repaired.