Du'an Yongji Bridge

Du'an Yongji Bridge

Located about half a li east of the county town, spanning the Chengjiang River, it features ten large arches, with a total length of 96 meters, a width of 4 meters, and a height of 7 meters. It is the best-preserved ancient stone arch bridge in the county. According to the original bridge’s stele pavilion, the bridge was funded and built by Pan Fenggang after he inherited the position of local Tusi (native chieftain) of Anding. The bridge boasts an elegant design and exquisite craftsmanship. Construction began in the first month of the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1867), and was completed in the third month. The characters “永济桥” (Yongji Bridge), each one square foot in size, are engraved on the bridge. A pavilion named “Fenglai Ting” (Phoenix Arrival Pavilion) stands at the western end of the bridge, housing a stone stele inside. Beside the pavilion is a large banyan tree, shaped like a giant umbrella, providing dense green shade. During the Cultural Revolution, the scenic area at the bridgehead was completely destroyed, leaving only the solitary bridge. In 1972, a new reinforced concrete bridge was built above Yongji Bridge, and in 1978, a library was established on the bridge surface, turning the ancient bridge into a “library on the water.”