Zhang Shiwen, a reader, wrote to us this morning about Beijing’s Gaoliangqiao Bridge, a rare surviving bridge from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) which is in a perilous condition. Zhang’s plea: Don’t let this historic treasure that has survived wartime be destroyed in peacetime.
In earlier days, Gaoliangqiao Bridge presented a splendid sight. Viewed from the tower of Xizhimen Gate, the bridge spanned the clear waters of the river, on the banks wine houses and temples extended to the Western Mountains. Swallows swooped under the bridge while above passengers and carriages passed along the bridge. From a distance -- the tower, the water, the bridge and passengers formed a landscape beneath the foot of Yanshan Mountain. The bridge has been listed by Haidian District as an important cultural heritage site. Of the few existing ancient bridges in China, Gaoliangqiao is the only one in Beijing.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the bridge was the only way leading in and out of the old city. The busy bazaars and pedestrians made up a unique scene of prosperity under the foot of the Yanshan Mountain of Beijing’s western suburbs. The great ritual of the People’s Liberation Army marching into the city in 1949 also started at this bridge.
Today? Located about 100 meters northwest of the Xinzhimen cloverleaf, Gaoliangqiao Bridge is nearly buried in a commercial-residential area characterized by a chaotic mix of stores and houses. The river has been cut off, going underground on the northern side of the bridge and becoming a dry ditch on the southern side. A car-washing sign is more dazzling than the bridge’s historic-site sign. Without the stone carvings on its rails, it would be barely recognizable as a bridge.
And now, it has been decided that the whole area will be demolished to build a new traffic hub. It is said the old houses will be demolished to clear land for new ones. Everybody was worrying before about the fate of the bridge before -- now everyone’s heart is in his mouth about its fate.
Zhang offers a suggestion: Make a curve around the bridge during construction to leave later generations a cultural relic passed down from Chinese ancestors. Surviving relics from the Yuan Dynasty are becoming fewer and fewer, and responsible departments should make every effort to protect them.
The city needs to build, but cultural relics need protection, too. A perfect blend of past and present will make our city more splendid. It is not necessary to damage relics when rebuilding the city. Let’s coordinate city planning with the laws to protect cultural relics. By making a turn at Gaoliangqiao Bridge, a historic treasure can be preserved.
(京报网[Beijing Daily Group] January 22, translated for china.org.cn by Unisumoon February 15, 2002)
