An ancient bridge of the Ming Dynasty on the Yufu River in Jinan
Two ancient bridges built in the Ming Dynasty according to expert research have been preserved on the Yufu River, one is located south of dangjiazhuang on the 104 National Highway, and the other is located in The Zhou Wangzhuang after jingshi west road. These two ancient stone bridges were once the Thoroughfare Avenue connecting the east, west, south, and north into Jinan.
On the Yufu River on Jingshi West Road, the Zhouwangzhuang Bridge is about 60 meters long and about 6 meters wide, with 5 arched holes underneath, and the bluestone slabs on the bridge deck are very smooth. Due to disrepair, the parapets on both sides of the bridge have long since disappeared, leaving only one balustrade pit after another filled with mud. The upper end of the bridge hole is full of beautifully carved water beasts. On the bridge deck there are two rows of neat square column nests, which were originally used to place railings. On the edges of the bridge deck of the stone bridge, there are also stone troughs that left the installation of the balustrades. It is said that when the bridge was built, the villages of Hetou Wang on the west bank of the river and houzhou Wangzhuang on the east bank of the river raised funds to build them, and the railings on the bridge were originally built by other nearby villages, but for some reason, they have not repaired the railings, so the stone troughs on the bridge deck where the balustrades are installed have always been empty.
According to the elderly villagers of Houzhou Wangzhuang Village, the bridge was built with funds raised by their ancestors, more than 400 years ago. The bridge, which connects Jinan and Changqing, was the only passage between the two places at that time.
Today, the newly built Zhouwangzhuang Bridge via Shixi Road has replaced this ancient bridge, and a new bridge has been built on the south side of the ancient bridge for the residents of the villages on both sides of the strait. But the ancient bridge is still protected, as if to tell people about the vicissitudes of the years.
After the field investigation, the personnel of the Jinan Archaeological Research Institute believe that the bridge should be built in the middle and early Ming Dynasty, with a very unique appearance, a unique overall structure, its materials are grand, and the carving is simple and bright. There are many Ming Dynasty bridges in Jinan, but they are rare, and the bridges are of high value for the study of bridge architecture and transportation geography in Jinan.
West of the newly built bridge on Dangjiazhuang South 104 National Highway, there is also a five-hole stone bridge built in the Ming Dynasty, which is taller than the ancient bridge of the Western Zhou King, and the piers and bridge holes are made of large bluestone. Although it has been hit by water and wind and rain for hundreds of years, the ancient bridge is still intact.
Lying across the Yufu River, there are also small stone bridges, or modern, or quaint, or graceful, with different shapes, natural and beautiful. In addition to providing convenient transportation for the people on both sides of the strait, they also have the role of stopping floods and storing water, slowing down water flow, and maintaining water and soil. Standing on top of the small bridges lined with green stripes of stone, looking down at the flowing water, looking up at the lush trees of the Qingyuan Mountains, the occasional water birds playing on the riverbank, and the beauty of nature's landscapes and rivers is intoxicating.
