Jianshui Tianyuan Bridge

Jianshui Tianyuan Bridge

Jianshui Tianyuan Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Yunnan Province.

Located ten li east of Jianshui city, Tianyuan Bridge spans the Huanghe River. It is a three-arch, one-hundred-arch bridge originally built in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1728) and renovated in the third year of the Jiaqing reign (1798). This three-arch stone bridge stretches 43 meters across the river. At its center stands a two-story pavilion with double eaves, topped with an octagonal pointed roof. The lower level serves as the bridge’s roadway. The northern and southern approach ramps are paved with flagstones and rise steeply, curving eastward and westward respectively to form a horizontal “S” shape, resembling a dragon about to leap into flight. The main bridge together with the approach ramps measures a total length of 121 meters. On both sides, over one-meter-high stone railings are inlaid, along with a pair of stone lions and a pair of stone elephants standing majestically at each end of the bridge. “Whenever rain and mist shroud the sky, the bridge looks like a rainbow stooping to drink, while its winding head and tail, with clustered bases and staggered teeth, resemble a low-flying dragon. Its uniquely spectacular form adds another grand sight to the region.”

At the southern end of the bridge stands a stone chamber pavilion, 6 meters long and 2 meters wide, supported by three stone pillars each 2.74 meters high. Inside the bridge pavilion are seven stone tablets inscribed with the history of the bridge’s construction and the merits of its patrons, featuring exquisite calligraphy. One of the tablets, erected in the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty, contains local regulations for environmental protection and the preservation of the surroundings of the bridge. Experts have called it “an important Chinese document concerning cultural relics.” After inspecting the site, senior ancient architecture expert Luo Zhewen praised the bridge’s design as “highly scientific. The ‘S’ shape was created to reduce the slope, making it easier for carts and pedestrians to cross—easy for carts to ascend and not tiring for people to walk.”