Runing Stone Bridge

Runing Stone Bridge

The Runing Stone Bridge is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

There are two stone bridges over the Ru River: Jimin Bridge and Hongji Bridge. Located at Dongguan and Beiguan in Runing Town, Runan County, both are five-arch solid-spandrel stone bridges and are among the few large-scale Ming Dynasty stone bridges still existing in Henan. Jimin Bridge is situated at the eastern end of Runing Street in Runan County and is commonly known as "Dongguan Grand Bridge." It is a large Ming Dynasty stone bridge spanning the Ru River and also serves as the vital east-west thoroughfare of Runan. According to the "Runing Prefecture Records": "Jimin Bridge spans the Ru River. Originally a wooden bridge, it was first replaced with stone by Magistrate Qian Yue in the 19th year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1483). It collapsed during the Longqing era, and Magistrate Chen Tingguang rebuilt it. In the 6th year of the Chongzhen era, Magistrate Huang Yuangong repaired it, but it collapsed again due to war. In the 8th year of the Shunzhi era, Deputy Magistrate Gao Yichen renovated it." Additionally, according to the "Inscription on the Reconstruction of the East Ru Bridge in Runyang County": "The construction of the grand bridge began in April of the 4th year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty (1570) and was completed in February of the 1st year of the Wanli era (1573)." Hongji Bridge, commonly known as Beiguan Stone Bridge, is located outside the north gate of Runan County.

Close to the city wall, it is another large-scale Ming Dynasty stone bridge spanning the Ru River. According to the "Revised Records of Runing Prefecture": "Hongji Bridge—located outside the north city gate, spanning the Ru River, was originally made of wood. In the 18th year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1505), Magistrate Lei Zong first constructed a stone bridge. During the Jiajing era, Magistrate Huang Sihua renovated it, and it was also called Bo’ai Bridge." Both stone bridges were designed and built with considerations for both practicality and aesthetics. The bridge deck structure can be divided into three layers from the side: bridge tie stones, soffit stones, and deck stones, all paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides, there are twenty-six baluster columns, each adorned with carved peach-shaped capitals and stone lions, with peach shapes being more common and stone lions fewer. Overall, the structures of Jimin Bridge and Hongji Bridge are largely the same. However, there are some differences in their structures and artistic designs. Jimin Bridge features water-dividing beasts on the cutwaters of its piers and does not use bluestone bricks to line the inner walls of the hollow sections. The bridge railing is made by joining two bluestone slabs, with most baluster capitals shaped like peaches and carvings on the railing panels mainly depicting animals and flowers, supplemented by other patterns. In contrast, Hongji Bridge has no carvings on the cutwaters of its piers, which are built with sandstone, and the inner walls of its rectangular hollow sections are lined with bluestone bricks. The bridge railing is made from a single bluestone slab, with most baluster capitals featuring lions and lotus pedestals, and the carving patterns primarily consist of auspicious motifs. The riverbed is paved with bluestone and gray sandstone. The design of both bridges is rigorous, their construction ingenious, demonstrating the superb architectural craftsmanship of ancient people. Despite centuries of vicissitudes, they still stand firmly over the Ru River and continue to serve their function today.

On October 7, 2019, the Runing Stone Bridge was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units