Tiansheng Number Stone Arch Bridge

Tiansheng Number Stone Arch Bridge

Tiansheng Number Stone Arch Bridge is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Tiansheng Number Stone Arch Bridge

Tiansheng Number Stone Arch Bridge, hailed as the “First Bridge Beyond the Pass.” Located in Tiansheng Number Village, Sanjiazi Township, it spans an ancient riverbed and is a single-arch stone bridge with five piers and four railings. The bridge is 5 meters long, 4.7 meters wide, and 3.4 meters high, with an arch span of 2.9 meters. It features both upper and lower arches—the upper arch is semicircular, while the lower arch is semi-elliptical. The sides of the bridge are built with V-shaped wing walls to deflect water. The bridge deck is paved with over 90 fan-shaped stone slabs and sealed with lime mortar. The waist of the arch is secured with iron chains. Both faces of the bridge arch are inlaid with round-faced stones, each bearing a large relief lotus flower with a diameter of 28 centimeters—each flower has eight petals and five stamens, surrounded by 30 small lotus rings in the center, framed by string patterns 5 centimeters thick at the top and bottom. Embedded in the middle of the arch is a stone tablet inscribed with the bridge’s construction record in regular script: “In the tenth year of the Dading era, in the cyclical year of Gengyin, on the day of Jihai, Liu Baotong from 50 li west of Longshan County in the Gouhe River Valley personally recorded this. This bridge was not built by Baotong alone but was jointly constructed by two Lius—the Lius being Liu Wu and Liu Hai.” The bridge is distinctive for its use of a double-arch construction method, which enhances stability by integrating the upper and lower arches into one unit, allowing the river water to flow through the archway. Its design is unique, elegant, and visually pleasing.

Research indicates that the tenth year of Dading refers to the reign title of Emperor Shizong Wanyan Yong of the Jin Dynasty, corresponding to 1170 AD. The Gouhe River was referred to as the Gouhe during the Liao and Jin periods, and has been called the Shenjin River since the Yuan Dynasty to the present. Since the bridge is located east of Tiansheng Number Village, it was named the Tiansheng Number Jin Dynasty Stone Arch Bridge. The Tiansheng Number Jin Dynasty Stone Arch Bridge is the oldest stone arch bridge discovered so far beyond the pass, and its discovery holds significant value for the study of China’s bridge history, the geographical changes of Chaoyang, and transportation in the frontier regions. It was included in the 1984 edition of the “Encyclopedia of Scenic Spots in China” and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province