The No.1 Bridge Under Heaven — Xiaoshang Bridge

The ancient waterway stretching before us is the renowned Xiaoshang River, where Yang Zaixing, a celebrated general of the Southern Song Dynasty who fought against the Jin invaders, met his end. Originally a section of the ancient Ying River, the Xiaoshang River got its name from a legend that an ancient Shang King once passed through this area.

Now look at the ancient stone bridge spanning the river — Xiaoshang Bridge, hailed as the No.1 Bridge Under Heaven, a source of pride for the global bridge engineering community. Records of Xiaoshang Bridge and its construction date can be found in Old Book of the Tang Dynasty, History of the Song Dynasty, Unified Records of the Great Qing Dynasty, Comprehensive History of Henan, Dictionary of Chinese Place Names, as well as historical documents preserved by the Nanjing Museum. All sources confirm the bridge was first built in the 4th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty, namely 584 AD, making it over 1,400 years old to this day.

Xiaoshang Bridge is a flat-spandrel open-spandrel stone arch bridge, sharing nearly identical structural features with Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei Province. Therefore, experts infer that Xiaoshang Bridge may have served as a prototype test bridge for Zhaozhou Bridge. The bridge is 21.3 meters long and 6.45 meters wide, with a clear span of 12.14 meters for its main arch. Its structure consists of one central main arch and two auxiliary spandrel arches on either side. The vaults of both the main arch and the two side spandrel arches are each assembled from 20 parallel red stone arch rings, locked together by iron dovetail fasteners between every stone block.

Intricate carvings run along both sides of the main and spandrel arches, depicting heavenly horses amid floating clouds, cloud-dragon patterns, lotus blossoms, peonies, and triangular geometric motifs. Embossed on the keystone at the apex of the main arch is a mythical water-absorbing ferocious beast known as the Taotie. In addition, a beast head juts out at each junction of the main arch and spandrel arches: a dragon head on the northern end and a tortoise head on the southern end. These bizarre, primitive yet exquisitely crafted sculptures provide abundant vital physical evidence for the study of ancient Chinese stone carving art.

The bridge piers are laid with six layers of finely polished stone slabs, featuring smooth surfaces and neatly aligned masonry. Surveys verify that both piers remain perfectly level without any uneven settlement after more than a millennium. Each of the four corners on the top stone layer of the piers bears a carved strongman figure: hands pressed firmly on knees, glaring fiercely with disheveled hair, legs spread wide as if bearing the weight of the arch above.

Standing along ancient official thoroughfares for successive dynasties, Xiaoshang Bridge was a vital transportation hub linking the north and the south. Having endured more than a thousand years of wind and rain, the bridge remains remarkably intact thanks to its rational structural design, high-quality stone materials, and repeated restorations carried out during the Wude reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Dade and Huangqing reigns of the Yuan Dynasty, and the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty.

Boasting an elegant silhouette, scientific structure, delicate craftsmanship, ornate carvings and an extremely long construction history, Xiaoshang Bridge boasts profound historical, scientific and artistic value, earning great attention from numerous specialists. In September 1982, Mao Yisheng, China’s preeminent bridge expert, dispatched a three-person research team to conduct an on-site investigation. The team concluded that the bridge dated back to the Sui Dynasty and was slightly older than Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei. This finding was reported by dozens of media outlets including Beijing Evening News, triggering a stir in academic circles at home and abroad.

In January 1992, Luo Zhewen, a leading national cultural heritage authority from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, visited Xiaoshang Bridge in person. He reaffirmed its Sui-dynasty origin and praised it as "the finest treasure among masterpieces in the global history of bridges". Shortly afterward, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage approved and allocated special funds for a full-scale renovation project, which was completed in 1995.

Under the 10th Five-Year Tourism Development Plan, a Sui Dynasty Bridge Park was planned for this area, with Xiaoshang Bridge as its core scenic spot themed Ancient Charm of the Sui Bridge.