Mengshan County Longevity Bridge
The Longevity Bridge is located in the county and is one of the oldest bridges in Mengshan. The bridge was originally called Xiguan Bridge, built in the Ming Dynasty,
Ancient people thought it was the Dragon King in the water that caused the bridge to be destroyed, and people wanted to suppress the Dragon King, so the bridge was renamed Zhenlongqiao, but the bridge was still washed away by the flood. Kangxi twenty years (1681), the governor Ding Gongliang rebuilt, this time people turn to want to please the Dragon King, so the bridge was renamed Xinglong Bridge. The result still did not work, the bridge was destroyed by the flood again.
Qing Jiaqing six years (1801), the governor Yu Lin will move the bridge site to the south of the city again rebuilt. Legend has it that the bridge has just been repaired and suffered a big flood, this time the bridge is actually intact. After the flood subsided, people found a big tortoise under the bridge and mistakenly thought it was a divine tortoise protecting the bridge. Turtle is the thing of longevity, coupled with the Yulin that ‘the bridge is blessed with longevity in the people, but also must be long-lived,’ so the bridge was renamed the longevity bridge, which has been used to this day.
Through hundreds of years of wind and rain, Longevity Bridge is a new look to meet the tourists. Now the Longevity Bridge is a wind and rain bridge, beautiful shape, although the bridge, but like a pavilion, covered with turquoise glazed tiles. From a distance, the bridge looks like a rainbow lying on the waves, and the ancient banyan trees along the shore are a perfect reflection. Closer look at the carved beams and painted buildings, each corner of the eaves are exquisite, red lanterns, swinging in the wind under the eaves of the bridge.
There are couplets written by martial arts master Liang Yusheng at the head of the bridge, and Qigong, Wang Guangying, Pan Qi, Wu Shanmao and others have left their ink treasures, as well as countless other poems and writings describing the Longevity Bridge.
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