Caoyan Town, Dafeng District, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, is an ancient town with a long history, dating back more than 1800 years, known as "Zhuxi" in ancient times. In the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan changed its name to "Cao weir" because of Fan Zhongyan's bamboo and grass cofferdam, which is located at the junction of Dafeng, Dongtai and Xinghua, where different cultures converge and blend.
In Dingxi Village, follow the bluestone pavement of Dingxi Old Street to the west, and at the end of the road, you will see an ancient bridge with a simple style that has long been abandoned and used - Gu Qingfeng Bridge. This stone arch bridge was built during the Southern Song Dynasty during the Chunxi period, and was later rebuilt in modern times during the Ming Chongzhen period, the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Daoguang years, and modern times. However, most of the bridge as a whole is still the remnants of the Song Dynasty, and this bridge has been more than 800 years ago, which is the oldest and most complete Song Dynasty bridge in Yanfu.
The stone bridge spans the Dingxi River, the bridge has long been overgrown with weeds, presumably abandoned for many years, and few pedestrians have walked over it. The Dingxi River under the bridge has almost dried up, and the surface of the water is floating with weeds and garbage, like a stinky ditch. The bridge body as a whole is a mixed structure, the bridge railing, bridge joint stone, bridge core stone, longmen stone, etc. are complete, but a few components have been seriously eroded by wind and rain, and the carved pattern has been indistinguishable.
In the middle of the bridge deck is a four-foot square jute stone slab, which is called "Eight Dragons Zhishui" by the locals. On both sides of the bridge, four dragon heads protrude from each side, which means "eight dragons to control water, eliminate drought and flood".
Yancheng is a water town, the river network is dense, the lakes are crisscrossed, hundreds of rivers, the bridge is naturally indispensable. A bridge is a symbol of a local culture, with a history, a story. Guqingfeng Bridge is located on the Dingxi River, guarding the past and looking at the future, carrying the ups and downs of Dingxi in that year, and also recording the footsteps of Dingxi people.