The Ming Dynasty Jianxi Bridge

The Ming Dynasty Jianxi Bridge

The Ming Dynasty Jianxi Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Jianxi Bridge, located outside Jianmen Pass and about two kilometers from the pass entrance, spans the Dajian River. It served as a crucial crossing on the ancient Shu Road from Chengdu to Zhaohua. Constructed during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty by Peng Shan, the commander of Lizhou, the bridge is built from bluestone and features three contiguous arches. The arch rings are made of two halves joined together (also called lotus-petal style). The bridge is 18.8 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 7.5 meters high. The eastern arch has a span of 5.3 meters, the western arch 5.2 meters, and the central arch 5.8 meters, with an arch height of 3.4 meters. The eastern arch consists of 26 rows of voussoir stones, the central arch 30 rows, and the western arch 23 rows. The bridge deck is arched, paved with slab stones in a stepped formation. The bridge pillars are 0.6 meters high, adorned with carved stone dragon heads, showcasing exquisite architectural technique. After hundreds of years, the bridge’s form remains unchanged.

The Song Dynasty poet Hu Xidao once wrote, “Several layers of ridges and bends apart, the road winds through misty drizzle. Standing alone on the brook bridge, I glance back—ahead already lie the mountains of Jianzhou.” At the head of Jianxi Bridge stands a stone stele inscribed with the poem “Crossing Jianxi Bridge” by Li Bi, the magistrate of Jianzhou during the Zhengde period (the 12th year of Zhengde, i.e., 1517), titled Wuyuan: “At dawn I cross Jianxi Bridge to view the hills, galloping through mist with horses’ hooves far-flung. They say this is where the Golden Ox Trail once passed—who would not ponder rise and fall in fishermen’s chat?”

Jianxi Bridge has been listed as an ancient bridge by Sichuan Province and designated as a cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Jiange County.

Protected area: 30 meters beyond the site boundary.

Construction control zone: 10 meters beyond the protected area.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Sichuan Province