Caiting Bridge

Caiting Bridge

Caiting Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

The Caiting Bridge stone bridge is located on the ancient Lanquan River, west of Caitingqiao Town, fifteen li (approximately 7.5 kilometers) west of Yutian County, about one hundred meters north of the new Beijing-Shenyang Highway. It was once a key route along the old Beijing-Shenyang Highway.

Legend has it that the bridge was built by Yang Caiting, a scholar of the Jin Dynasty, from which the nearby village and town derive their names.

The stone bridge runs east to west, shaped like a long rainbow in an arch. It is a three-arch, full-stone structure. The bridge is nineteen meters long, six meters wide, and six point one meters high. On both sides of the bridge’s arches, at the pier locations, extend two carved stone dragon heads, which look vivid from afar. Along both sides of the bridge deck, there are eight carved stone railings, including lions, lotus petals, and stone balusters with peach-shaped capitals. There are also twenty-six stone railing slabs featuring various relief carvings such as “rhinoceros gazing at the moon” and “lotus leaves,” as well as four cloud-patterned column tops at both the eastern and western ends.

Historical records about the bridge’s initial construction can be found in various texts, including the Ming Dynasty’s “Shuntian Prefecture Records” and “Zunhua Prefecture Records,” as well as the Qing Dynasty’s “Da Qing Yitongzhi” (Great Qing Unified Gazetteer) from the Kangxi, Qianlong, and Guangxu eras, and the “Yutian County Annals.” It is listed among the thirteen ancient bridges recorded in the “Da Ming Yitongzhi” (under the Pass Bridges section of Shuntian Prefecture), alongside the Lugou Bridge, which was completed in the third year of the Mingchang era (1192) during the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, Caiting Bridge and Lugou Bridge can be considered sister bridges.

Compared to Lugou Bridge, Caiting Bridge is smaller in scale, but the architectural styles are largely similar. Both employ a full-stone arch structure, with unique and non-repetitive carvings. Especially in terms of the lion-shaped column tops, dragon heads, and overall structure, they fully reflect the traditional artistic style and shared features of Jin Dynasty bridge architecture.

According to the length and width measurements recorded in Ming and Qing dynasty documents, the current dimensions are essentially consistent with historical records, showing no major damage. Aside from some individual lotus petals, column tops, and parts of the stone railing that were repaired during the Qing Dynasty, the bridge has retained its original Jin Dynasty appearance to this day.

Caitingqiao Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Yutian County. In 1953, Caitingqiao Township was established, converted to a commune in 1958, reverted to township status in 1983, and became Caitingqiao Town in 1985. Located in the northwestern part of the county, it is nine kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 26.4 square kilometers with a population of 19,000, it is traversed by the Beijing-Qinhuangdao Railway and National Highway 102. The town administers nineteen village committees: Caihedong, Caihexi, Caiyuantun, Laogongzhuang, Yangtuqiao, Siheqiao, Zhangtuqiao, Wutuqiao, Qianbanbijidian, Houbanbijidian, Mengzhuang, Huangtuqiao, Dongwangzhuangzi, Liangzhuangzi, Zhangguantun, Hongchenfu, Dongwulitun, Xiwulitun, and Zhenjiadingfu. Township… More detailed information about Caitingqiao Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hebei Province