The history and legend of Hongji Bridge

Lü Dongbin and Hongji Bridge

Hongji Bridge was built in the fifth year of Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty (1621) by Ruxian, the Qian family of Luyuan, and his son Kangzhi, who came from Qin Dynasty. Zhen, Tan Yongrui and others donated money for construction. The three-character name of the bridge "Hongji Bridge" was written by Qian Qianyi, the Minister of the Ming Dynasty. The font is thick and strong, and the inscription on the bridge name can still be seen today. There is also a legend about the construction of the bridge. It is said that when the Hongji Bridge was about to be completed, for unknown reasons, a large yellow stone used to make the top of the bridge was always not level, and the skilled craftsmen were helpless. When Lu Dongbin happened to be wandering by here, he walked up to the top of the bridge like crazy, stepped hard on the yellow stone with his right foot, laughed loudly, and flew away in the air. Because Lu Dongbin used too much force with his heel, he actually left half a footprint on the yellow stone on the top of the bridge. When all the craftsmen were shocked, they suddenly found that the big yellow stone had been placed obediently and steadily... and the "marks left by Lu Dongbin" were still there. If you look closely, you will find that there is indeed half a stone on the bridge. The footprints are mottled and vaguely distinguishable.

Hongji Bridge is 8 feet 4 feet long, 1 feet 2 feet wide, and 6 feet 1 feet 2 inches wide. It is made entirely of stones. There are two bridge piers below, and between the two bridge piers is a large ring-shaped hole, about 1 feet and 5 feet in diameter. They are like a pair of eyes of the bridge, observing the current situation of the world, bright and lively, and very decent. On weekdays, the river water flows through the large hole, at high tide or low tide, or even in the event of a flood. The river water can flow through the large hole or be discharged from the two small holes to disperse the flow, reduce the water speed, reduce resistance, and ensure The bridge body will not be damaged by floods. "Hongji Bridge" has experienced more than 360 years and is still very strong, fully reflecting the wisdom and talent of our country's working people.

Sister Lu Ban and Hongji Bridge

There is a beautiful and moving story circulating locally about the construction of Hongji Bridge!

According to legend, Zhaozhou Bridge is Lu Ban built it, while the Hongji Bridge on the Fuyang River was built by his sister. Lu Ban is a famous wood and stone family who is especially good at building bridges. The bridges he designed are beautiful in shape and durable in use. so. He was asked to build large bridges across the country. Lu Ban has a younger sister, known as Lu Mei. Lu Mei learned how to design and build bridges from her brother since she was a child. She also learned the truth and has high attainments in bridge design. She often helps her brother with ideas and solutions. Lu Ban was ordered to build the Zhaozhou Bridge. During the design and construction, Lu Mei suggested that Lu Ban cross the bridge body with iron beams to strengthen the bridge's stability. Lu Ban believed in his talent and did not listen to Lu Mei's words, so the brother and sister had conflicts. Lu Mei was so angry that she went south alone and came to the Fuyang River outside Dongguan, Guangfu. The Fuyang River flows rapidly, and because there is no bridge on the river, people's lives are very inconvenient. Just beside the bridge, Lu Mei made up her mind to build a bridge here and compete with her brother. Lu Mei gave full play to her talent and wisdom and worked with the local people, wearing the stars and the moon, day and night, outsmarting evil dragons, cutting off water and flowing water, whipping mountains and driving away rocks, and finally built a "Hongji Bridge" on the Fuyang River that will benefit future generations. . The Hongji Bridge is beautiful in appearance and roughly the same as the Zhaozhou Bridge in scale and style, but its internal structure is unique, which increases the stability of the bridge. Because Lu Ban did not listen to Lu Mei's words, the Zhaozhou Bridge was almost crushed by Zhang Guolao's donkey. Lu Ban came to Guangfu in person to apologize to his sister. From then on, they can still be seen standing side by side on the bridge under the rainbow after the rain.