Xidong Bridge

Xidong Bridge is a multi-layer braced wooden arch covered bridge situated in Baifenqiang Village, Sixi Town. It was first constructed in the 4th year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1570), renovated in the 10th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1745), and fully restored in the 7th year of the Daoguang reign (1827). The bridge measures 41.7 metres in total length and 4.86 metres in width, with a clear span of 25.7 metres. Nestled within a feng shui layout known as “General Teasing the Lion”, Xidong Bridge is described in verse: “An arch rainbow hangs in mid-air; its shadow ripples with the moonlit waves.” Fifteen bays of covered corridor rest atop the arch, with several central bays rising into a two-storey pavilion. The roof features elegantly upturned flying eaves, and the ridge is adorned with carved green dragons winding through empty space, as if exhaling mist and swallowing clouds.

Xidong Bridge lies approximately one li away from Beijian Bridge and takes its name from spanning the East Stream. Distant mountains stretch across the far bank, while two prominent peaks rise nearby: Lion Peak and General Peak. Locals explain that the bridge and its surrounding landscape embody the auspicious feng shui formation of “General Teasing the Lion”. Set against the backdrop of rolling distant hills, Xidong Bridge appears even more delicate and graceful.

Before the bridge was built, pedestrians crossed the East Stream via stone stepping stones, a passage frequently blocked by floods. Lin Zhengxu took the lead in funding and building a Centipede Bridge — the present Xidong Bridge. Lin Zhengxu was an upright, principled man renowned for charitable deeds. In the Guihai year of the Qianlong reign (1743), Magistrate Zhang Kaoshou bestowed upon him a horizontal plaque inscribed with the four characters “Two Sources of Supreme Honour”. A well-known anecdote survives regarding Lin’s bridge-building undertaking:

Upon the completion of Xidong Bridge, a bridge-consecrating ritual was to be held. The feng shui master who selected the auspicious date warned: “This propitious hour and day bears an inauspicious flaw. Misfortune will befall one party — either the chief organiser or the master craftsmen. You must decide which to spare.” Without hesitation, Lin Zhengxu resolved to hold the consecration ceremony on the chosen date. Before the ritual began, he moved his entire family away from Sixi to Miu Yang at Jiangdu.

Adjacent to Xidong Bridge stand temples including the Linshui Palace and Lord Chen Grand Shrine. Linshui Palace covers an extensive area and consists of three courtyards: the first courtyard holds the entrance gate tower, while the second and third house grand main halls. The palace enshrines Lady Linshui, Chen Shisi.

According to legend, Chen Jinggu (Lady Linshui) was born on the 15th day of the first lunar month in the 1st year of the Dali reign of the Tang Dynasty (766), in Linshui Village, Gutian County, Fujian Province. Her father Chen Chang once served as Vice Minister of Revenue, and her mother was Lady Ge. She also had an elder brother Chen Shouyuan, who retreated to the mountains to cultivate Taoist arts.

Chen Jinggu displayed spiritual wisdom from childhood. When she was seventeen, she set off to deliver meals to her brother and came across an elderly starving woman collapsed beside a mountain path. Moved with compassion, she gave all her food to the stranger. The old woman turned out to be an immortal Taoist master, who taught the kind-hearted girl talismanic arts to subdue malignant earth spirits. Later, a white serpent plagued the local region. Wang Yiting, Emperor Huizong of Min, hearing of Chen Jinggu’s supernatural powers, issued an imperial edict ordering her to eliminate the monster. Armed with a sword, Chen ventured into the serpent’s cave and slew three serpent demons, ridding the land of a great scourge. Word of her heroic deed spread across the court and countryside, and the emperor conferred upon her the title “Lady Shunyi (Lady of Obedient Virtue)”.

Miracles attributed to Lady Chen abound, earning her widespread folk devotion, especially among women. Across much of southern China, grand sacrificial ceremonies are held on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, marking the birthday of the Heavenly Maternal Saint Chen Jinggu. On ordinary days, childless men and women flock to shrines of Lady Shunyi to burn incense and pray earnestly. Pregnant women place her portrait in their chambers for protection throughout gestation, and offer thanksgiving worship on the baby’s bathing day. Further rituals of homage are held when the infant reaches one month and one year old.

The Linshui Palace, Lord Chen Grand Shrine and covered bridge (which also houses niches for deity statues inside) stand side by side, forming a central place of worship. Beyond Sixi, nearly every ancient village in Taishun built bridges and temples at the water inlet, the gateway where streams flow into the settlement. Temples served as venues for villagers to venerate various gods and goddesses. Most covered bridges across Taishun contain deity niches, functioning as miniature shrines in their own right. In ancient times, village water inlets evolved into communal sacred centres, reflecting local people’s heartfelt yearning for blessings and good fortune.