Chiqiao

Chiqiao

Stained with Blood—Chiqiao

Chiqiao Village has a long history. Originally named Shiqiao (Stone Bridge), it was later renamed Chiqiao (Red Bridge), also known as Yuren Bridge, after the incident in which Yiren attempted to assassinate Zhao Xiangzi but failed and committed suicide, staining the stone bridge red with his blood. Yiren lived 2,500 years ago during the late Spring and Autumn period, at the time of the Partition of Jin among Three Families. In loyalty to his lord Zhibo, he became an assassin, enacting a real historical tale known as the "Assassination of Righteousness." The proverb “A warrior dies for one who knows his worth” originates from this story. Both the Strategies of the Warring States and Records of the Grand Historian document the event, and the Tang poet Hu Zeng wrote: “Yuren repaid his debt of gratitude though years have passed, / His noble name remains immortal to this day. / Year after year people walk across the bridge, / But who still has the heart of that loyal hero?” To the west of Yuren Bridge stands an ancient locust tree and a Guanyin Temple, with the front wall inlaid with four characters “Ancient Yuren Bridge” inscribed in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty by Liu Wuyang, as well as the “Poem on Yuren Bridge” by Yin Yi, magistrate of Taiyuan during the Kangxi era. The village today preserves the well-maintained Wuyuan Temple and numerous well-preserved Ming and Qing dynasty residences.