The 'Rainbow Bridge' in Qinghua Town, Wuyuan is not a legend

We planned to visit the 'Rainbow Bridge' in 'Qinghua Town' not far from Sixi Yancun in Wuyuan County when we prepared to come to Wuyuan, and now we finally made it! We knew that this bridge has a history of more than 800 years when it was partially destroyed by a flood in the summer of 2020. It was a bridge built during the Southern Song Dynasty, with a long history! The driver took us to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the local village on the way to Qinghua Town - pink walls and black tiles, I feel that the Huizhou architecture under the blue sky adds a lovely dynamic sense to the house. There are not many people in the Rainbow Bridge Scenic Area. After entering, you can see the ancient bridge in the distance through the small path in the bamboo forest. There are 4 large piers with pavilions on them, which are as simple as the beginning, without any ostentation. This is a covered bridge built on the Qinghua River, which is also known as the most beautiful covered bridge in China. We came in early November, during the dry season of the river, and we can clearly see the complete 4 independent piers. Each one is solid like a half-boat shape. The end facing the water is pointed, commonly known as 'swallow beak diversion', to alleviate the impact of water flow and protect the bridge body. The wisdom of the ancients! Each pier has a pavilion built on it, and there are plank bridges connecting the pavilions, forming a continuous covered bridge. It can be understood that the span between the piers is called 'corridor', so the covered bridge can also be called 'corridor pavilion bridge'. The pavilion that was destroyed during the flood in 2020 was built on the first pier in the river on the east side and the plank bridge next to it. After the repair, you can now see that the top of the pavilion is slightly higher than the others. Walking on the covered bridge, you can feel its stability and heaviness, and history is right in front of you. The covered bridge was built during the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 to 1279. It is 140 meters long, 105 meters long, and 3.1 meters wide. Its charm lies not only in the perfect combination of the bridge body and the green mountains, clear water, ancient villages, and post roads, but also in the reasonable choice of the geographical location of the bridge - built on the widest river surface, and the half-boat-shaped pier design that decomposes the impact of floods, as well as the tight and solid strip stone masonry method, and the bridge surface is also designed to be easy for future generations to maintain, reflecting the concept that the simpler and more practical the process, the easier it is to continue and inherit. Looking at the whole from a distance, you can see that there is a pavilion at each end of the bridge on both sides of the river, plus a total of 4 pavilions on the 4 piers in the river. This is a covered bridge with 6 pavilions and 5 corridors. On the bridge deck, the position of the panel under the pier is a stone slab, and the corridor part of the bridge deck connecting the piers is a wooden board. The ridge of the pavilion on the pier is higher than the top of the covered bridge, and the front and back eaves also protrude. Although the bridge is simple, it is very undulating and not monotonous. The interior space of the bridge varies in width. The pavilion on the pier is a complete small space with stone tables and stone benches for people to rest and cool off. We saw a 'Qinghua Eight Scenic Map' hanging on the bridge, which was taken from the edition of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. The upper part of the picture is the mountains, the middle part is the houses and temples of the county town and the main street, and the bottom is the Qinghua River. The 'Rainbow Bridge' is painted on the river surface, and there are many big fish painted in the river! There is another 'Juxing Bridge' at the bend of the river. In the pavilion on the second pier on the east side, there is a shrine with statues inside, worshiping Hu Yongban, the founder of the bridge. He was responsible for the design and construction of this bridge, and the technical person in charge of the construction; there is also a statue of Hu Honghong, who raised funds for the construction of this bridge. In order to raise funds, he shaved his hair to become a monk, went to the Wuyuan Temple to become a monk, traveled around to beg for alms, and went through hardships. It took more than five years to raise funds for the construction of the bridge. According to the village records, it took ten years to complete the bridge from fundraising to completion. It's amazing! The shrine also worships the god of King Yu, with the intention of suppressing the water. The plaque above the shrine reads 'Long Rainbow Lying on the Waves', and the couplets on both sides take Li Bai's poem: Two waters sandwich a mirror, and two bridges drop a rainbow. Walking on the bridge gives you a solid state of mind. There are no carved beams and painted buildings here, no lingering sound, not as good as the white snow in spring, but it is unique and fascinating. I think, this bridge is a manifestation of the true colors of the Chinese people: simple and unpretentious, honest and practical. A bridge becomes a scenic spot. There is a 'Caiyun Ancient Temple', a Huizhou-style building built in the Song Dynasty, and a rice mill nearby: introducing the process of using waterwheel hydropower to shell, grind, and process grains, that is: using river gates, when lifted, the water hits the waterwheel to drive the axle to rotate, pulling up the pestle to rise and fall, separating the husk and rice in the stone mortar. This is a 'knowledgeable' display area. The trees by the river are shaded, and people are drying vegetables and washing clothes on the shore; the river water, villages, and country roads form a perfect earthly beauty. And the Rainbow Bridge, this ancient building, stands like a monument to history, standing quietly, it is not mysterious! But it's not ordinary! Isn't it?!