Zhuozhou Yongji Bridge

Zhuozhou Yongji Bridge

Zhuozhou Yongji Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Yongji Bridge is located 1.5 kilometers north of Zhuozhou City in Hebei Province, spanning the Juma River from north to south.

The bridge was first built in the second year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1574 AD), originally named "Juma River Bridge." It was renovated in the sixteenth year of Wanli (1588) and rebuilt again in the sixth year of the Tianqi era (1626) after being destroyed. Later, due to the river shifting southward, the bridge also collapsed. In the 25th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1760 AD), a new nine-arch bridge was constructed south of the old one. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty bestowed upon it the name "Yongji" (meaning "Eternal Relief") and wrote both the "Imperial Record on the Reconstruction of the Zhuozhou Stone Bridge" and the "Imperial Poem and Preface for Yongji Bridge." Approach ramps were built at both ends of the bridge, totaling 660 meters in length. South of the bridge, a stone embankment was constructed with 22 culverts underneath, and the original old bridge was also modified into a culvert-style structure, turning it into a "dike-shaped approach ramp" to help drain floodwaters during summer and autumn.

Historically, this bridge served as a vital route connecting eighteen provinces and an important section of the ancient imperial road. It was also a renowned scenic spot south of Beijing. With its grand scale and elegant form, viewed from afar it resembles a rainbow stretching across the riverbanks. Hence, it is hailed as one of the Eight Scenic Views of Zhuozhou, often referred to as the “Long Rainbow over the Juma.”

Historical records indicate that Yongji Bridge along with its northern and southern dike-shaped approach ramps measured over two hundred zhang (a traditional Chinese unit of length) in total length. In December 2004, after exploration and trial excavations of the bridge’s approach ramps, it was determined that the main bridge together with the north and south approach ramps has a total length of 627.65 meters. Among this, the main bridge is a single-lane, nine-arch stone bridge, measuring 151.15 meters in total length, 10.7 meters in width, and rising 6.3 meters from the cutoff stone to the highest point of the bridge deck. The bridge facade features a connected arrangement of nine arches, with the body of the bridge sloping gently at both ends and rising in the middle. Mr. Luo Zhewen, a renowned expert in ancient Chinese architecture, dubbed this bridge “China's Longest Stone Arch Bridge.”

On the west side of the northern end of the bridge, there used to be a stele pavilion housing a stone stele inscribed with bilingual Manchu and Chinese imperial calligraphy by Emperor Qianlong. The stone stele at the southern end of the approach ramp bears the personal inscription of Li Hongzhang reading “Yongji Bridge.” The northern approach ramp features a large octagonal pavilion, commonly known as the “Nine-Bay Hall.” At the southern end of the bridge stands a memorial archway, with the plaques and couplets on both ends of the bridge personally inscribed by Emperor Qianlong. The structures at both the southern and northern ends of the bridge were destroyed in a flood in the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), and the imperial stele pavilion was demolished in the early years of the Cultural Revolution. Currently, the bridge is undergoing further archaeological investigation and conservation restoration.

In 2006, Yongji Bridge, as an ancient architectural structure dating from the Ming to the Qing Dynasties, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units