Heping Ancient Bridge

Heping Ancient Bridge

Heping Ancient Bridge is located on the northern and southern banks of the Lianjiang River in Heping Town, Chaoyang District, Shantou City. Built in the Dingwei year of the Jianyan era during the Song Dynasty (1127), it is a pier-supported flat bridge. The bridge stretches 196 meters in length and 6 meters in width, featuring eighteen arches in the middle. The piers range from a maximum height of 15 meters to a minimum of 13 meters. Pine timbers were stacked crosswise to form raft-shaped pier foundations measuring 2 meters in length, 1.5 meters in width, and 1 meter in height (similar in ingenuity to the "raft foundation" technique used in Quanzhou’s Luoyang Bridge in Fujian—both bridges were built around the same time, suggesting possible mutual influence), which were then topped with precisely cut stone blocks to form pointed cutwaters that help disperse the impact of tidal surges. The bridge deck was paved with flat stone slabs, with five per arch, each measuring between 7.5 to 8 meters in length, 0.9 meters in width, 0.75 meters in thickness, and weighing approximately ten thousand pounds (a massive stone slab about 8.5 meters long, 0.65 meters wide and high, and weighing roughly ten thousand pounds still remains at the bridge’s northern end). The stones used are Fujian granite, known for their resistance to wear, acid, alkali, and seismic activity. The sides of the bridge deck are lined with earthen parapets made of lime, sand, and clay, reinforced every four meters with circular stone pillars forming a railing. Viewed from above, the bridge appears straight; viewed from the side, the staggered pier heads between the arches create a gentle curve, embodying profound architectural beauty. On the western side of the bridge stand two turtle-base steles, with turtles serving as the pedestals. One bears the large characters “Heping Li” (“Heping Settlement”) with smaller inscribed characters in the upper margin reading “Written by Wen Tianxiang of Wuling, Lushan, Song Dynasty.” The other features the large characters “Heping Qiao” (“Heping Bridge”) with smaller inscribed characters in the upper margin stating “Built by Monk Dafeng, Song Dynasty” (research suggests these inscriptions were added later to commemorate the venerable Dafeng’s contribution to building the bridge). Having stood for centuries and undergone several restorations, the bridge retains its structural integrity and remains a vital crossing over the Lianjiang River.