If you’ve been to the famous water town, Zhujiajiao, you might never forget the amazing Fangsheng Bridge.
It’s the town’s most iconic landmark. This five-arch stone bridge is the largest of its kind in the Shanghai region, measuring 70.8 meters long and 7.4 meters high. The current bridge was built in 1812, but its story begins much earlier.
Legend has it that in 1571, a Buddhist monk named Xingchao from a nearby Temple called Cimen raised funds to build the first bridge at this site.
Before the bridge, people had to cross the river by a small wooden ferry. One stormy day, strong winds turned over the ferry. Xingchao’s pregnant mother was pulled from the water and gave birth on the shore—but she did not survive. Xingchao was left an orphan. He was raised by the villagers and eventually became a monk.
To honor his mother’s memory and spare future travelers from similar danger, he traveled far and wide to raise money to build the original bridge.
The name Fangsheng Bridge, literally ‘Setting-Free Bridge’, also reflects the Buddhist practice of releasing captive animals—a ritual that was once held there.