History of Anhe Bridge

Anhe Bridge is a stone arch bridge erected over the Yangtze River during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. It is commonly known as Luoguo Bridge. Originally a wooden bridge, it was later changed to a stone arch bridge during the Qianlong period. The stone forehead was called Anhe Bridge, and later it was changed to Anhe Bridge.

In the second year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1724), the Eight Banners Zhenghuang Banner and Zhenghong Banner barracks of the Old Summer Palace Guards were set up on the northwest side of Anhe Bridge. The main mission of the garrison was to protect the Old Summer Palace, Qingyi Garden (today’s Summer Palace) and Royal security. At that time, transportation was inconvenient, so the royal family also built a granary next to the river, called Fengyi Granary. This reserve is mainly military rations for the Eight Banners guarding the Yuanmingyuan Army. At that time, the Royal Eight Banners of the Old Summer Palace had more than 80,000 soldiers, and their annual salary was more than 66,300 shi. These military rations had to be transported to Fengyi warehouse through the water transport terminal at Anhe Qiaotou. The ancients built granaries near water sources to facilitate water transportation and fire prevention. Fengyicang is a typical example.

In the early years, there were three stone temples near Anhe Bridge: Xinglong Temple, Sanguan Temple and Sansheng Temple. Xinglong Temple is dedicated to Master Guan and Lord Dragon, Sanguan Temple is dedicated to Tianguan, Diguan and Shuiguan, and Sansheng Temple is dedicated to Liu Bei, Guan Gong and Zhang Fei. In the Sanguan Temple, there is a stone tablet erected during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The inscription states that the temple is "surrounded by a long river on the left and golden mountains on the right." It is a geomantic treasure. Today, except for the Xinglong Temple building that still exists, the other two ancient temples have disappeared.

In the 1950s, this waterway was still green and flowing. In summer, children bathe, play and catch shrimps and fish along the river, while women wash their clothes and wash their hair by the river. There are also donkeys, horses, cattle, sheep, camels and other livestock drinking by the river. Among the current registered population, about 30% of the residents in this area are descendants of the soldiers who guarded the Eight Banners. However, few of them can speak Manchu and write Manchu. There is a dirt road from the north of Anhe Bridge to Bei'an River. Anhe Bridge is an important cross-river bridge on the way. This bridge provides convenience for people to travel and also contributed to the War of Liberation. Because underground workers of the Party used this secret passage to enter Beijing from Xishan, young people from Peking University and Tsinghua University also crossed this bridge to Yan'an and embarked on the revolutionary road.

As early as the second half of 1948, the villages near Anhe Bridge were liberated and the Communist Party organization was established, half a year before the peaceful liberation of Peiping.

A flood occurred in 1963, and flash floods destroyed the original stone arch bridge of Anhe Bridge. Later, Anhe Bridge was changed to a reinforced concrete bridge. The stone inscription "Anhe Bridge" on the stone arch of the ancient bridge is inlaid on the wall of a house next to the bridge, and the original stone piers are piled beside the bridge.