The Zhenxing Bridge is located in the Gushi Village. The bridge is 43.5 meters long and has five piers, each spanning over 7 meters. On the upstream right side of the bridge, there is a natural sandstone rock that resembles a thousand-year-old divine turtle lying on the riverbed. Historically, villagers from Anhua and Taojiang would pass through Ningxiang to reach Changsha via this bridge. To ensure the villagers could cross the river without wading, a wealthy local merchant named Mr. Liu Zhenxing donated a large portion of his fortune to construct this bridge.
Zhang Pingfei, the town mayor of Xiangzi Kou, informed reporters that the ancient town of Xiangzi Kou is filled with historical landmarks, among which stone bridges are the most distinctive and numerous. Thus, it also enjoys the reputation as the "Hometown of Ancient Bridges." Besides Maogong Bridge, there are other notable bridges such as Dengpo Bridge, Guanyin Bridge, and Dingzi Bridge. Behind every ancient stone bridge lies a touching story.
At the beginning of this year, the Xiangzi Kou Town Government decided to develop and explore tourist attractions, aiming to make the tourism industry a pillar industry. Chen Xin, an official of the Xiangzi Kou Town Government responsible for the exploration and organization of tourist sites, spent half a year surveying all the ancient stone bridges in the town out of love for his hometown, Ningxiang. This survey revealed that there are 128 ancient stone bridges in Xiangzi Kou that have existed for over a hundred years.
Maogong Bridge spans the Wei River and was built at the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is understood that despite countless floods over the past hundred years, this ancient sandstone bridge remains standing. Maogong Bridge is entirely constructed of sandstone, with a round arch combined with a flat beam bridge forming a unified structure. Although it has weathered a century of storms, it continues to serve the villagers. All photos were taken by He Wenbing.
"Currently, we are applying to list Maogong Bridge, Dengpo Bridge, and ten other ancient stone bridges as municipal and provincial cultural relic protection units," said Yu Xiao, the Party Secretary of Xiangzi Kou Town. "We must protect what our ancestors left behind."
"Amazing! Our town of Xiangzi Kou has 128 ancient stone bridges that are over a hundred years old, and each one has a story. Come take a look!" On October 10th, I received a call from Chen Xin, a resident of Xiangzi Kou Town in Ningxiang County. His excitement and pride were evident.
Dengpo Bridge was built in the Qianlong era by Li Lingxia, a supervisory student, to commemorate Grandma Deng. Located at the boundary between Gushi and Shicun, it is a circular stone arch bridge, 12 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and 4.7 meters high, entirely constructed using sandstone. The bridge's top has square long stone slabs as railings. It is said that Grandma Deng, who was 80 years old at the time, tragically lost her life here while rescuing a drowning young herdsman.
"This bridge is entirely made of sandstone, with a well-organized structure where the round arch and the flat beam bridge are integrated. This design facilitates floodwater passage and navigation," explained Chen Xin as he stood on the Maogong Bridge in Gushi Village after a nearly three-hour journey. He elaborated on the structure and stories behind this ancient stone bridge.