Loudi News Network News (Correspondent Su Zengzeng, Zhu Youzhi) In Shuangfeng County, Loudi City, on the Huanshui River in Zhoushang Village, Hongshandian Town, Shuangfeng County, Loudi City, there is the oldest existing wind and rain bridge in Shuangfeng County-Gaoqiao. The bridge was built in the second year of Qianlong (1737), repaired in the twentieth year of Daoguang (1840), and was well preserved, and was identified as a county-level cultural relics protection unit in 2017 and a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit in 2019.
Gaoqiao is the representative of the traditional bridge in Hunan, which is a stone pier wooden bridge, integrating pavilions, corridors and bridges, showing a north-south direction, and the bridge is 18 years long5 meters, the width of the bridge is 65 meters, the bridge is 6 meters high, it is the wind and rain bridge of two holes stone arch, the bridge base is laid with bluestone blocks, the bridge deck is paved with large bluestone, the bridge body is separated by the blue brick wall inside, there are 7 bridge corridors, there are railings on both sides, benches are placed, the bluestone steps are built at both ends of the bridge, there are 39 steps on the north side, 8 steps on the south side, it has important historical, artistic and social value.
Cultural relics are the physical witness of the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation, and restoration is an important means of protecting and preserving cultural heritage. Since 1737, which lasted more than 280 years, although the high bridge is well preserved, it is affected by the natural environment, and the approach bridge and the bridge body are damaged due to weathering. In order to restore the original historical features of the high bridge, Shuangfeng County organized the restoration of the high bridge, including the repair of the steps and bluestone slabs on the ground, the repair of the blue brick wall and the bluestone corner of the bridge body, the repair of the small green tile roof and wood base on the top of the bridge, the repair of the foundation of the bluestone arch cave of the bridge, and the surrounding supporting projects.
The construction team of the repair project came to Zhoushang Village, Hongshandian Town in early September 2023. The author learned from Yang Quanliang, the person in charge of the project, that the restoration of Gaoqiao was carried out in accordance with the principle of minimal intervention, restoration materials and reducibility and recognizability, which lasted nearly 4 months and cost about 1.1 million yuan, and the project is now nearing completion and is expected to be completed in mid to early January 2024, striving to restore the style of Gaoqiao after the completion of the restoration.
Gaoqiao is a witness to the history of Hongshandian Town, a representative evidence of the civilization of Zhoushang Village, and a witness to the development of Zhoushang Village. After the restoration of the ancient bridge is completed, Hongshandian Town and Zhoushang Village will continue to promote the protection of cultural relics, continue the local context, inject cultural momentum into the high-quality development of rural revitalization, and bring the Gaoqiao to life on the basis of maintaining its original appearance.