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Old bridge steeped in history of one family
By Chen Zhaoxiong and Chen Ye |
December 27, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
STANDING on the Wensu Bridge, facing south, one can easily spot an ancient stone slab bridge called Shijia Bridge.
It was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it is the only bridge of its kind in Jiading District that maintains its original look. However, you can't walk across the bridge because the west end is blocked off.
The bridge, which is 16.4 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, has three spans. Two bridge piers and all its decks are made of granite.
The name of the bridge and inscriptions relating to its reconstruction in 1610 are incised on the stones.
The bridge was built by a man named Shi Xiehang, who was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations. He worked as a county magistrate in Henan and Zhejiang provinces. He came back to Jiading at over 40 and built the bridge to make convenience for himself and the local people.
Shi's family continued its illustrious heritage. His grandsons, Shi Cai and Shi Bin, and other family members of later generations were famous scholars, poets and novelists.
One of the most famous of the Shi family lineage was Shi Yuechun, a famous mathematician. In his later years, although deaf and blind, he still kept up his teaching. Shi Yuechun died in 1880.
The construction of the Shijia Bridge is a story of challenges and difficulties. Though it somewhat mirrors the history of the Shi family, no descendent lives in the area now.
In the latter years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there was a building called Qingjietang at the site, which served as a shelter for poor families and widows. Many elder people still refer to the Shijia Bridge as the Qingjietang Bridge.
It was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it is the only bridge of its kind in Jiading District that maintains its original look. However, you can't walk across the bridge because the west end is blocked off.
The bridge, which is 16.4 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, has three spans. Two bridge piers and all its decks are made of granite.
The name of the bridge and inscriptions relating to its reconstruction in 1610 are incised on the stones.
The bridge was built by a man named Shi Xiehang, who was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations. He worked as a county magistrate in Henan and Zhejiang provinces. He came back to Jiading at over 40 and built the bridge to make convenience for himself and the local people.
Shi's family continued its illustrious heritage. His grandsons, Shi Cai and Shi Bin, and other family members of later generations were famous scholars, poets and novelists.
One of the most famous of the Shi family lineage was Shi Yuechun, a famous mathematician. In his later years, although deaf and blind, he still kept up his teaching. Shi Yuechun died in 1880.
The construction of the Shijia Bridge is a story of challenges and difficulties. Though it somewhat mirrors the history of the Shi family, no descendent lives in the area now.
In the latter years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there was a building called Qingjietang at the site, which served as a shelter for poor families and widows. Many elder people still refer to the Shijia Bridge as the Qingjietang Bridge.
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