Taixin Bridge

Taixin Bridge

Taixin Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Ming-era Taixin Bridge in Fengkai is located in Pinggang Village, Pingfeng Town, Fengkai County. According to the Fengchuan County Annals from the Republican era: “In the 12th year of the Jiajing reign (1533), local residents including Chen Shiyong raised funds to build the bridge, which was over ten zhang long and one zhang wide, with a pavilion built on top.” It was renovated during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty. Inscriptions from the reconstruction can still be found beneath the beams of the bridgehouse.

The bridge is a covered beam-and-column style structure. It is 10.89 meters long and 3.4 meters wide. The entire bridge is spanned by a bridgehouse. The bridgehouse has a roof spanning three bays in width and three bays in depth, with a hip-and-gable roof. It uses a post-and-lintel beam frame. On the four rafters sits a camel hump, atop which is a recessed bucket arch supporting the horizontal beam. The bucket arch extends upward with intersecting brackets. At the center of the horizontal beam is another camel hump, which also features a recessed bucket arch supporting a one-dou-three-rise bracket set, which in turn holds up a triangular beam sleeper, ridge purlin, and ridge stringer. The inscription is written beneath the ridge stringer. The ridge purlin has a circular cross-section, while the ridge stringer is carved into a waist-drum shape, with floral patterns engraved at both ends. The beam frames are supported by camel humps and bracket sets, with the latter engraved with ruyi patterns. The camel humps on either side of the central bay are adorned with gilded and painted wood carvings depicting motifs such as a carp leaping through the dragon gate, two lions playing with a ball, a red phoenix facing the sun, and a qilin offering auspiciousness. The beam frames of the secondary bays are higher than those of the central bay, causing the roof truss to rise gently toward both ends, and the eaves to form smooth curves that also rise toward the ends. The roof ridge is decorated with gray plaster scrollwork and dragon finials, while the visible surface of the ridge purlin features gray plaster bas-relief scroll patterns.

The bridge piers are square granite stone columns. Each pier consists of four stone columns arranged in a row, totaling four rows, each corresponding to the beam frames of the bridgehouse. The tops of the columns have cap beams, and the columns are connected by through-beams. Between the through-beams and cap beams of each column row are set up short columns (shuzhu) for support. The bases of the stone columns are cushioned with relatively flat stones without any chiseling. Beams are placed on the columns, and bridge planks are laid on top of the beams.

The bridge employs a mixed structural system of through-tenon and post-and-lintel framing. It is exquisitely built and has a simple, classic design. The lower part of the bridge retains ancient construction methods of wooden beam-and-column or bridge structures from China’s Tang and Song dynasties, making it highly valuable.

In June 1989, the People's Government of Guangdong Province designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

Pinggang Village: The Pinggang Village Committee is located beside Jiangping Line (X432) in Fengkai County, covering an area of approximately 5.1 square kilometers. It administers 19 villager groups with a total population of over 1,400. The village committee site includes a market town (Pinggang Market), which is as well-known as Pingfeng Market Town due to its thriving commerce and trade.

The Pinggang Village Committee is 23 kilometers from the county seat and 5 kilometers from the town government. County Road 432 leads directly to Pinggang Village, giving it good geographical advantages. Typical of southern hilly terrain, the Pinggang Village Committee leverages local characteristics to develop village-level collective economy—by contracting out mountain land and fish ponds, it increases the village’s collective economic income... More details about Pinggang Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units