North Tower Immortal-Welcoming Bridge

North Tower Immortal-Welcoming Bridge

The North Tower Immortal-Welcoming Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The North Tower Immortal-Welcoming Bridge in Jiuzhai Township, Mengyin County, is located southwest of Beilou Village. This three-arch stone bridge stretches 30 meters across a north-south oriented river beach. The bridge deck is paved with blue flagstones and slabs, flanked by five railing pillars on each side and four interval panels adorned with shallow relief carvings depicting scenes from the legend of the “Eight Immortals.”

Historical records indicate that the Immortal-Welcoming Bridge was originally built during the Ming Dynasty, damaged in the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, and reconstructed in the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign (1907) through donations. It is a fully stone-structured, open-spandrel three-arch bridge, measuring 30 meters in total length, 5.27 meters in width, and 4 meters in height. The bridge deck is paved with blue flagstones and slabs. Five railing pillars stand on each side of the deck, interspersed with four panels. Both the panels and pillars are decorated with carved images in relief, featuring hidden Eight Immortals motifs, flowers, trees, auspicious birds, and mythical beasts. Above the pillars are stone sculptures arranged symmetrically, including a monkey (damaged and later restored), lions, and lotus pods. The carvings on the bridge depict magical weapons held by the “Eight Immortals” from folklore, symbolizing good fortune — hence the name “Immortal-Welcoming Bridge.” On the western side of the bridge stand three stone steles: the central one is the inscription commemorating the 1907 reconstruction, while the two flanking ones are donation steles (named “Everlasting Fame Stele” and “Immortality Stele,” respectively). On both sides of the river north of the bridge are stone oxen, one male to the east and one female to the west. Each ox is 1.72 meters long and 0.60 meters tall, slightly damaged at the head, lying in a curled position with a stout body, short thick neck, and bulging eyes. On both sides of the river south of the bridge sit stone lions, each 0.83 meters tall and 0.45 meters wide at the base, crouching atop stone bases with heads slightly tilted and bells hanging from their chests. The stone oxen and lions are exquisitely crafted and vividly rendered.

In 2001, the Immortal-Welcoming Bridge was designated as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit by the Mengyin County People's Government;

On September 27, 2003, it was designated as a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit by the Linyi Municipal People's Government;

On December 7, 2006, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Shandong Provincial People's Government.

Beilou Village: Beilou Village…… More details about Beilou Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units