Yongfeng Bridge
Welcome, dear visitors! Take a look at the engraving on the bridge railings—it reads “Yongfeng Bridge” (Bridge of Eternal Abundance). But did you know that this bridge was originally named “Yongfeng Bridge” (Bridge of Singing Winds)?
This is recorded in “Zhuli Xiaozhi” along with a poem by Shao Tang titled “Poem for Yongfeng Bridge”:
"The waters of the lotus lake stretch ten miles,
An evening rainbow arches over the flow.
Cool waves ripple through the three lakes at dusk,
The setting sun stirs the languid breeze.
Fishermen’s fires smolder among withered reeds,
Homes linger in the chill of autumn maples.
From the distance rises the market’s murmur,
My poetic thoughts soar with misty wild geese."
Yongfeng Bridge is located about 100 meters south of Ping’an Bridge and roughly 400 meters northeast of Zhonghe Bridge. It crosses Zhujiajiao’s city river from northwest to southeast, linking Donghu Street and Xihu Street.
This is a single-span, three-section stone beam bridge, measuring 20 meters in total length. Each stone slab of the bridge deck reaches up to 6.6 meters long and 55 centimeters wide, with the bridge itself about 1.68 meters wide overall. There are ten stone steps on each side. The bridge’s balustrade caps are carved with lotus motifs, and notably, at the foot of the bridge remains a stone column carved on all four sides with the “Eight Immortals Hidden in Plain Sight” (An Baxian)—depictions include a flute and a cattail fan. This relic is believed to be from a Ming dynasty predecessor bridge.
Both sides of the bridge bear the original name “Yongfeng Bridge”, and an inscription on the right side reads “Built in the 7th Year of Tianqi” (1627). While the bridge was known as “Yongfeng Bridge” during the Ming dynasty, later local gazetteers mostly record it as “Yongfeng Bridge”, likely because residents hoped to invoke the blessing of “eternal abundance” (yong feng).
This bridge appears in numerous documents, including the Revised Gazetteer of Qingpu County during Qianlong Reign”, the Qingpu Gazetteer during Guangxu Reign, the Songjiang Prefecture Gazetteer during Jiangqing Reign, Zhuli Xiaozhi during Jiaqing Reign, and the Supplement to the Qingpu Gazetteer during Republic of China.
A tragic event marks Yongfeng Bridge’s history. On November 8, 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese planes bombed Zhujiajiao for the third time, causing civilian casualties and widespread destruction. That day, a sulfur incendiary bomb struck Yongfeng Bridge. Miraculously, it failed to explode, only cracking one of the bridge’s stone slabs before falling into a pit by the bridge. To commemorate this narrow escape and remind future generations of the national humiliation, the damaged slab was inscribed with the characters “Memorial Stone” and buried upright at the foot of the bridge, bearing the date “November 8, 1937”.
Crossing Yongfeng Bridge, you’ll arrive on the north bank’s Xihu Street, an area rich with historic sites, including Jin Residence, the Qing Dynasty Post Office, ancient water bridges, and more architectural treasures.
