Tsinghua Rainbow Bridge

Tsinghua Rainbow Bridge

The Tsinghua Rainbow Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Rainbow Bridge was built during the Southern Song Dynasty, over eight hundred years ago. It is the oldest and longest covered bridge in ancient Huizhou and has been praised by many media outlets as “one of the most beautiful covered bridges in China.” The charm of the Rainbow Bridge lies not only in its perfect harmony with the surrounding green mountains, clear waters, ancient villages, and post roads, but more importantly, in the vitality of its construction—scientifically and rationally choosing the bridge location on the widest part of the river; the semi-boat-shaped pier design that disperses the impact of floodwaters; the varying distribution of piers according to the speed of the main current; the tight and sturdy construction using strip stones; and the far-sighted, practical design of the bridge deck that is easy for future generations to maintain. These all reflect the philosophy that the simpler and more practical the craftsmanship, the easier it is to pass down and sustain. After more than eight hundred years, it remains intact, rustic, dignified, and rich in historical depth.

Rainbow Bridge

The connection between the Rainbow Bridge and the Dengyun Bridge—one tall and one short, one large and one small—embodies the essence of ancient Huizhou bridge culture: the aspiration for good fortune and prosperity. The highest state in life, whether in studying, serving as an official, or engaging in business… is to ascend to the blue clouds, step onto a beautiful and auspicious rainbow, and achieve rapid success and prosperity—how splendid, carefree, and honorable. The clever combination of the two bridge names reflects the wishes and hopes of the ancients for their descendants. The pool of clear water beneath the bridge earned its name when Wen Peng and He Zhen, pioneers of the seal engraving school, sailed here and, captivated by the beautiful scenery, inscribed “Little West Lake” on the rock face by the water. The age-old water-powered millstone workshops continue to demonstrate how the ancients harnessed water energy to drive mills for pounding rice and grinding flour. An unassuming stone dam, simple yet enduring, has protected the ecological environment around the Rainbow Bridge for centuries and is hailed as the “Guardian of Ecological Protection”… The Rainbow Bridge is a scenic area that combines culture and ecology, movement and stillness, leisure and entertainment. It boasts profound bridge culture, historical relics, and production tools left by the ancients, along with a well-preserved natural environment, making it a high-end cultural and ecological tourism destination with distinctive Wuyuan characteristics.

The Rainbow Bridge is located in Tsinghua Town and is named after a line from a Tang poem: “Two rivers cradle a bright mirror, twin bridges span a rainbow.” Legend has it that on the day the bridge was completed, a rainbow hung in the blue sky, rivaling the beauty of the bridge. The bridge is 140 meters long and 7 meters wide, featuring corridor pavilions with benches on both sides. It is a long pedestrian bridge composed of six pavilions and five corridors. Each pier supports a pavilion, and the span between piers is called a corridor, hence it is also known as a corridor pavilion bridge. On both sides of the Rainbow Bridge, verdant mountains rise like ink wash paintings, while clear waters flow endlessly beneath. The thousand-year-old ancient town of Tsinghua, where the Rainbow Bridge is located, boasts abundant tourism resources. In addition to the Rainbow Bridge, there is also the Dengyun Bridge, rice-pounding watermill workshops, and more.

The wooden sections of the Rainbow Bridge’s deck were designed with continuity and longevity in mind. The focus was on economy, sturdiness, durability, and ease of maintenance. At first glance, the structure appears simple, the craftsmanship rough, with large gaps between the mortise and tenon joints, and the corridors not perfectly aligned. This indicates that the requirements for the carpenters were not high, and it was built by ordinary craftsmen. The advantage of this approach is that if the bridge is damaged, it can be repaired at minimal cost by easily accessible carpenters. Thus, the builders’ meticulous planning ensured the bridge’s preservation to this day.

Although built by ordinary carpenters, the artistic style it embodies is rustic, dignified, and rich in historical texture. To facilitate maintenance, the entire bridge is divided into independent sections, with each pavilion and corridor being self-contained, so damage to one part won’t affect the whole. The firmness of the mortise and tenon joints is achieved without iron nails, using wooden pegs instead. Wooden pegs are low-cost and easy to work with. Iron nails used in bridge construction tend to rust, and when embedded in wood, they cause vibrations as people walk across, leading to wear and loosening. Wooden pegs, being of the same material as the wood, expand and contract uniformly under vibration. Decades later, the joints remain tightly secured. The bridge structure is made from century-old pine logs, with wooden planks laid on top for walking. The wooden parts of the deck typically last only about a hundred years, which is why the Rainbow Bridge has undergone repairs throughout the dynasties. The most recent repair after liberation was in 1985.

The Rainbow Bridge is a scenic area that combines culture and ecology, movement and stillness, leisure and entertainment. It boasts profound bridge culture, historical relics, and production tools left by the ancients, along with a well-preserved natural environment, making it a high-end cultural and ecological tourism destination with distinctive Wuyuan characteristics.

Address: Tsinghua Town, Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province

Phone: 0793-7242972

Opening Hours:

7:00–17:30 (subject to slight seasonal adjustments)

Tsinghua Town: Tsinghua is a thousand-year-old town named for its “clear streams meandering around, shining brilliantly under the light.” In the 28th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (740 AD), Wuyuan County was established with its county seat in Tsinghua. In the first year of the Tianfu era (901 AD), the seat was moved to Xian’gao (now Ziyang Town, the county seat), lasting 161 years. On the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Tsinghua belonged to Xinhua Township. In the early years of the PRC, it was part of Zhangxi District, became the site of the county’s fifth district government in 1950, was reorganized as Tsinghua People’s Commune in 1958, changed to the Tsinghua Branch of the State-owned Zhanggongshan Reclamation Farm in 1960, and was restored as Tsinghua Town in May 1984.

Tsinghua Town is located in the northern part of Wuyuan County, along the Xingjiang River… More details about Tsinghua Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

Wuyuan Jiangwan Scenic Area

Dawu Mountain Wolong Valley

Likeng

Huangling Village

Wangkou

Wuyuan Cultural and Ecological Tourism Area

Changxi Village

Taoxi Village

Wuyuan Museum

Dawu Mountain

Yantian Ancient Camphor Folk Custom Garden

Jiangling Terraced Fields

Likeng

Wuyuan Wulong Mountain

Wuyuan Moon Bay

Qinghua Town

Guankeng Village

Qingyuan Village