Maple Grove Bridge

Maple Grove Bridge

Maple Grove Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Lianxi is located 8 kilometers east of Yiyang City, and Maple Grove Bridge spans the Lianxi River to the west of the town. The bridge was first built during the Ming Dynasty as a wooden structure, and was reconstructed in the second year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1797) as a single-arc granite stone bridge.

Legend has it that Maple Grove Bridge was voluntarily funded and built by an elderly stonemason who lived in the maple forest east of the bridge, along with dozens of his apprentices. The old stonemason’s spirit of helping others and benefiting the local community moved even the immortals, who descended from heaven to help build the bridge. Once the bridge was completed, the people of Lianxi, who love singing mountain songs, decided to hold an opening ceremony on the Dragon Boat Festival. They set up singing stages at both ends of the bridge and held a mountain song competition to thank the generous stonemason and his apprentices. The white-haired yet youthful-looking old stonemason volunteered to be the master of ceremonies. After the firecrackers were set off, he solemnly announced, “Maple Grove Bridge is open, and the mountain song contest begins!” Then, he stepped onto a cloud and ascended into the sky. The mountain songs by the bridge echoed over Lianxi and spread across the hundred-mile lake region. Since then, holding a mountain song contest on Maple Grove Bridge has become a traditional Dragon Boat Festival event for the people of Lianxi. Year after year, generation after generation, the event has flourished for over a century, enlivening the local culture. In 1994, Lianxi was officially named the “Hometown of Mountain Songs” by the State Council.

In 1913, the river embankment collapsed, and the bridge was repaired in the 16th year of the Republic of China (1928). The entire bridge is constructed of granite, featuring an arched design. It is 64 meters long and 6.5 meters wide, with 35 steps. Stone railings line both sides of the bridge deck, and there are stone carvings near the railings at the east and west entrances. At the southern end of the railings are stone lions, female on the east and male on the west. The female lion cradles a cub in her arms, playful and affectionate, while the male lion crouches with upright ears, sunken eyes, and an open mouth—majestic and vividly expressive. At the northern end of the railings are carved qilin (mythical creatures), their claws pressing down on the Four Treasures of the Study, serene and elegant in appearance. The bridge’s base is a semi-circular single arch, with an arch height of 8 meters and a span of 14.4 meters, allowing sailboats to pass beneath. On both sides of the arch are inscribed eight large characters: “Maple Grove Scenic Site, First Bridge over the Zi River.”

Maple Grove Bridge is a gem among southern China’s single-arch granite bridges, a representative work of large-span single-arch bridges, and one of the well-preserved ancient bridges within our city. The bridge arch, deck, stone railings, lions, qilin, and inscriptions all showcase the characteristics of granite. The proportions of the bridge piers, arch, and deck are well-coordinated, and the carvings of the lions and qilin are exquisitely detailed and vivid, offering a strong aesthetic appeal. Especially notable are the inscribed dates, which provide valuable physical evidence for the study of architectural technology development in southern China during the Qing Dynasty. Additionally, the bridge serves as an important carrier of our city’s traditional intangible cultural heritage.

In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, the “Red Guards” of the county’s Fifth Middle School in the district, under the guise of smashing the “Four Olds” (old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits), burned ancient books, smashed ancient carvings, destroyed relics, and attempted to push the stone lions and qilin at both ends of Maple Grove Bridge into the river. Their actions were first stopped by Sun Shaojie, the secretary of the Lianxi Town Party Committee, but when that failed, Tian Jiejun, the secretary of the Lianxi District Office, and others forcibly intervened to prevent the destruction. In 1998, the People’s Government of Yiyang City designated a protection area and construction control zone for Maple Grove Bridge. In January 2011, the People’s Government of Hunan Province listed it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Lianxi Town: Located in the northeast of Yiyang City, 8 kilometers from the urban area. It covers a total area of approximately 46.64 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 35,000 and a town-area population of 13,000. It administers five neighborhood committees: Renmin Street, Zhonghua Street, Datong Street, Changqing Street, and Yujiazui; and 23 village committees: Yinjiaba, Baijiaduan, Jintang, Tangxiping, Jianxin, Sanling, Xiucaida, Songbai, Dumuqiao, Shagangzi, Yanjiayuan, Tangjiaba, Choumuyuan, Shanmuqiao, Jichengyuan, Jiangziduan, Xinshan, Dengjiazui, Shuangfeng, Zengyueba, Zengjialing, Shuangyashu, and Jiangjiatang. ... More details about Lianxi Town++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Hunan Province