Houxi Taishan Bridge

Taishan Bridge is located in Houxi Village, Tingping Township, Minhou County. Its original construction date remains unknown, yet it was reconstructed in the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933) by Xu Tianchun, a carpenter from Lushang in Gutian County.

According to local legend, Taishan Bridge was originally a vine suspension bridge serving as a vital thoroughfare connecting all surrounding townships to Luoyuan County. After the original structure collapsed, villagers rebuilt Taishan Bridge on the original site. It is a single-span wooden arch covered bridge running east to west.

The bridge has an overall length of 27.9 metres, a width of 4.3 metres, an arch span of approximately 21.6 metres, and stands 11.9 metres above the water surface. Its abutments rest upon natural bedrock and are laid with rubble stones. Multiple interlocking arch frames are assembled from round logs. Lengthwise round timbers are laid atop the arches as girders, with wooden planks placed crosswise over them to form the bridge deck.

The covered gallery adopts a hanging hill roof supported by a column-and-tie timber frame, featuring seven bays across its width and four columns along its depth. Wooden railings line both sides of the bridge, shielded by external rain barriers. A shrine is set in the central bay, dedicated primarily to the Dark Lord of the Northern Heaven.

As one of the scarce surviving wooden arch covered bridges, the structure holds significant scientific research value.