Chaozhou Taiping Bridge

Chaozhou Taiping Bridge

Chaozhou Taiping Bridge is located on Taiping Road in Chaozhou City. Originally a bridge over the moat in front of the prefectural government office, it became buried underground over the course of history. In December 1987, it was discovered by the postal and telecommunications bureau while laying underground cables. After an on-site investigation and survey by cultural relics authorities, it was identified as a three-arch stone beam bridge with a slight arch in the middle. The bridge is 22.5 meters long and 12 meters wide. Each arch is formed by stone beams approximately 7 meters long, 0.7 meters wide, and 0.4 meters thick. The outer parts of the bridge piers are built with strip stones, with sand and soil filled in the middle.

The *Chaozhou Sanyang Annals · City Walls* records: “In September of the first year of the Zhihe era,” and also states, “The inner city of the prefecture relies on Gold Mountain for fortification, sloping down in the front and tilting up at the back, extending from south to north, all enclosed by a moat, with a stream to the east (i.e., the Han River).” The *Chaozhou Sanyang Annals · Bridges and Roads* states: “Taiping Bridge is located in front of the prefectural office.” From this, it can be inferred that Taiping Bridge existed no later than the first year of the Zhihe era (1054). The *Chaozhou Sanyang Annals · Bridges and Roads* also mentions: “From Taiping Bridge straight to Sanyang Gate, there were originally four pagodas at the four corners of the bridge,” though these four pagodas can no longer be seen. Since then, Taiping Bridge has been repaired through various dynasties and remained in existence until the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, with inscriptions of the three characters “Taiping Bridge” still preserved. According to elders in Chaozhou’s ancient city area, there was no visible bridge during the Republican era, suggesting that Taiping Bridge may have been buried underground in the late Qing Dynasty or early Republican period. This bridge is one of the better-preserved stone bridges from the Song Dynasty in the province.