Tongji Bridge in Jingxing

Tongji Bridge in Jingxing

Tongji Bridge in Jingxing is a cultural relic protection unit of Hebei Province.

Tongji Bridge is located in Shiqiaotou Village, Tianchang Town, Jingxing County, and is an ancient structure from the Song Dynasty.

This bridge is less than 2 kilometers from the ancient city of Tianchang from the Tang and Song dynasties and spans Qili Gully, making it one of the few pre-Song Dynasty ancient stone bridges in Hebei Province. The construction techniques of the stone bridge are similar to those of the Zhaozhou Great Stone Bridge; it is a single-arch open-spandrel stone bridge, 24.30 meters long and 5.30 meters wide, with a bridge deck paved with bluestone slabs. It has a span of 10 meters and a rise of 3 meters. When the stonemason Zhang An built the bridge, he was “utterly devoted—carving the blocks, laying the slabs, using lime and iron fixings, and sculpting birds and beasts with vivid representations of their forms.” Despite having stood for over 900 years, the water-spouting beasts carved above the main arch and the spandrel arches, along with the relief carvings of auspicious animals such as lions, qilins, heavenly steeds, and elephants on the side arch stones, remain intact, vivid, and exquisitely crafted. Visitors can’t help but marvel at them, noting that they are unmatched by other stone bridges.

On February 7, 2001, Tongji Bridge in Jingxing was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Hebei Province.

Shiqiaotou Village: Shiqiaotou Village is located in the western part of Jingxing County, under the jurisdiction of Tianchang Town. It is 55 kilometers from Shijiazhuang City, the provincial capital, and 12.5 kilometers from Jingxing County. The village covers an area of 1,687 mu, has a total of 286 households and 885 residents, including 480 permanent residents, and includes 710 mu of arable land. It is recognized as a fourth batch Traditional Chinese Village. … More details about Shiqiaotou Village++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Hebei Province