Huangmiao Stone Bridge

　　Located 30 kilometers southeast of Xiangcheng City in Huangmiaoji within Fuiji Town, the Old Ni River flows from west to east, with the southern bank under the jurisdiction of Shenqiu County and the northern bank belonging to Xiangcheng’s territory, the two counties sharing the river and bridge as their boundary. On the southern bank lies an ancient temple called Huangmiao, which enshrines the deity Yanwang. As the superstitious believe Yanwang governs the Book of Life and Death of mortals, for centuries the incense at Huangmiao has never ceased. In the late years of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty, Li Jinlu, a lay Buddhist from Huangmiao, sought donations across regions to facilitate pilgrims from the north side of the Ni River visiting the temple. He then used the raised funds to purchase stone materials for bridge construction in the mountainous area. After three years, the stone components were transported back. In the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876), the stone bridge was completed.

　　The entire bridge is built with red stone. It consists of one arch, currently measuring 27.5 meters in length from north to south and 4 meters in width. Originally, there were six arches, but the southernmost one was removed during the Anti-Japanese War. There are now five arches, each spanning 4.6 meters, with the railing standing 4.5 meters above the water level. Each side of the bridge features 16 railings, each carved with lifelike stone lions and stone monkeys. The railing panels are also engraved with various floral and decorative patterns. The keystone of the middle two arches is adorned with a carved stone dragon each. The dragons’ heads face west and tails point east. Whenever the water level reaches the dragons’ heads, it is certain that a flood will occur — making this an effective water gauge.

　　A donation stele is preserved to this day. Made of Qing-era stone, the stele stands 1.7 meters tall, 0.5 meters wide, and 0.8 meters thick. The inscription in regular script briefly describes the construction of Huangmiao Bridge and lists the names and amounts of donors. It was erected in the second year of the Guangxu reign.