Gongguan Bridge

Gongguan Bridge

Guizhou’s Premier Ancient Stone Bridge – Gongguan Bridge

Gongguan Bridge is situated on the Chiyixi River at the border between Suiyang and Zheng’an counties, within the Shuanghe Cave National Geopark. Constructed in the late Qing Dynasty, it earned its name because it was located along the ancient post route from Guizhou to Sichuan and a guesthouse (gongguan) that provided lodging for merchants and travelers once stood on Gongping Street to the south of the bridge. Additionally, as the bridge was jointly built and managed by both Zheng’an and Suiyang counties, it is also referred to as the “Gongguan Bridge” (Publicly Managed Bridge).

Gongguan Bridge is a single-arch stone bridge entirely constructed from massive white marble blocks. It spans 37 meters, stands 23 meters high, and is 9 meters wide. The southern side has 47 stone steps, while the northern side has 49. Both sides are equipped with guardrails made from thick, polished rectangular stone slabs. At the center of each railing stands an identically designed bridge pavilion. Each pavilion houses two large stone steles. The eastern steles bear the names and donation amounts of the bridge’s leading advocates and contributors, while the western steles are inscribed with “Inscription for the Construction of the Premier Bridge in Southern Guizhou” and a couplet reading “Bamboo may not rival pine in greenness and elegance, but orchids, though mere herbs, bloom fragrantly,” along with carvings of flowers, dragons, snakes, fly-whisks, and swords. Each side of the railing is adorned with a couplet: “The scholar on donkeyback finds poetic inspiration, the literary talent of Sima leaves bold verses on the bridge pillar”; and “Stone steps stretch to the clouds like a goose’s teeth, the river bridge arches like a rainbow over the moon.” On the northern riverbank platform stand three tall stone steles inscribed with “Compassion in Heart,” “All Sing of Safe Passage,” and “Never to Be Forgotten by the People.” A small temple is built on the southern riverbank platform, housing three bodhisattva statues and hosting continuous incense offerings.

Gongguan Bridge is simple yet majestic, grand and spectacular, with exquisite craftsmanship and solid practicality. Its unique architecture and distinctive design hold significant academic value in the history of ancient bridge construction. The classical couplets on the bridge feature precise parallelism and profound artistic conception, offering insight into the cultural and historical roots of the region known as the Land of Poetry. Gongguan Bridge is recorded in both the “Suiyang County Annals” and the “Supplementary Zunyi Prefecture Annals.” Experts have praised it as “Guizhou’s Premier Ancient Stone Bridge.” Historically, it is also known as the “Premier Bridge of Southern Guizhou.”

In 1987, the Suiyang County Government designated Gongguan Bridge as one of the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Suiyang County.