Ming-era stone bridge receives first repairs
Print Edition
QIANYAN Bridge, an ancient stone bridge built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on Poyang Lake in southeast China’s Jiangxi Province, has just undergone its first round of maintenance in its 386-year history.
The bridge is 2,657 meters long and 82 centimeters wide, making it China’s longest stone bridge built in a lake. Its body was built with granite and supported by wooden posts made of pinewoods. It is a protected national cultural relic in Jiangxi.
The bridge is named Qianyan, which literally means “thousand eyes,” because there are 948 sluice holes along its length.
According to historical records, Qian Qizhong, an official in Duchang County, started collecting money to build the bridge in 1631. It took five years in total to complete the construction, and the bridge served as be a vital link for people on both sides of the lake during the winter dry season.
Born in Zhejiang Province, Qian’s achievements as an official in Duchang County in Jiangxi Province included building nine bridges, five stone embankments, and stone roads measuring out to a length of 879 zhang (264 meters).
Qian started purchasing materials for the bridge and hiring technicians with his own money. This act of charity was widely supported. His achievements had a huge positive impact on people in Duobao and Beishan areas over the following 300 years.
To memorialize Qian, the bridge was given another name — Qiangong (Lord Qian).
The bridge used to be the only way to cross the lake during the dry season. Before the bridge was built, people took a ferry across the lake during high flow season, but also had to walk into the muddy waters during the dry season.
Nowadays, the bridge is a popular sightseeing destination. But after hundreds of years of being submerged by seasonal flooding and exposure to sand and wind, the bridge became seriously damaged, according to the cultural authorities in Jiangxi.
The repair project kicked off in December 2016. In keeping with its original design, it used granite for the bridge’s body. The project took two month to complete and cost 900,000 yuan (US$130,860), according to officials.
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