“Through many efforts, the Bazi Bridge is finally back. A few days ago, looking at the eight-character bridge lying on the pond in Lianshi, Shen Huifeng, deputy to the People’s Congress of Shuanglin Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City, and deputy secretary of the general party branch of Xiangyang Village, was very happy. After the restoration, it will not only become a unique scenery of Xiangyang Village, but also a good place for villagers to discuss village affairs and read books.
For a long time, the restoration of the Bazi Bridge, so that the ancient buildings to rejuvenate the brilliance is the expectation of the locals, as the Nanxun District People’s Congress representative Niu Guixiang put forward several proposals to repair the Bazi Bridge at the two sessions, and last year was finally implemented.
It is reported that Lianshi Tang Bazi Bridge is located at the junction of Xiangyang Village, Shuanglin Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou City and Shijiaqiao Village, Shanlian Town, is a five-hole stone bridge built in the early Ming Dynasty, which belongs to the cultural protection unit of Huzhou City. Among them, the bridge is 50 meters long and spans the Lianshi Pond in the north-south direction, and the small bridge is 30 meters long and spans the Shanlian Pond in the east-west direction. The two bridges became famous because of their “eight-character” appearance, and have historically been the main channels for cross-strait mass exchanges.
The bridge was damaged several times in the past but was repaired until March 2016, when the middle hole of the Da Bazi Bridge was hit by a passing transport ship, and it has not been repaired to this day. After the bridge was broken and blocked, it not only affected the travel of the local people, but also affected the overall image of Lianshitang.
During the field visit and investigation, Niu Guixiang found that due to the curvature of the bridge section and the rapid current, it is difficult to drive the transport boat, especially at night, and it is easy to collide with the bridge pier. In order to prevent similar collisions and ensure the safety of boats, he asked that the bridge section of the river be rerouted to the south and that a new channel be built3.The 5-meter-wide pedestrian bridge is not only conducive to the passage of transport ships, but also conducive to the protection of the Bazi Bridge.
The people elected me as a representative, and I will be a representative for the people. “To protect ancient buildings is to retain nostalgia and all beautiful memories. Niu Guixiang said that it is precisely this kind of feeling that has allowed him to work on the grassroots rural front for more than 30 years, and it is this kind of feeling that has strengthened his sense of responsibility and mission to protect local history and culture.
In recent years, Shuanglin Town has paid more attention to the protection and development of history and culture while accelerating the construction of beautiful villages. Subsequently, the Bazi Bridge reconstruction project was included in the construction of the Taijia River Follow-up Project (Lianshitang) project, which started at the end of 2020 and was completed in the second half of 2021, with a total investment of about 5 million yuan.
In recent years, with the acceleration of urban modernization, the development of rural areas is getting faster and faster, many ancient houses and ancient bridges carrying the good memories of childhood are disappearing, some ancient buildings and ancient villages with important historical significance are facing the crisis of dilapidation, and there are fewer and fewer historical and cultural resources that can be preserved.
Niu Guixiang’s suggestion has attracted the attention of the government and relevant departments. At present, Shuanglin Town is vigorously protecting ancient buildings and villages, and more and more villagers have joined the team of ancient building protection and donated funds to repair ancient buildings. Many of the renovated ancient buildings have become beautiful scenery for beautiful rural construction.
“Next, we will further strengthen protection, actively declare funds to the higher authorities to repair historical monuments, and promote the development of rural tourism. Niu Guixiang said that there are many ancient buildings in Shuanglin Town, and it is of great significance to increase the restoration of ancient buildings, so that ancient buildings can “prolong life”, and explore the historical and cultural value hidden behind ancient buildings, which is of great significance to retain beautiful nostalgia and help the development of rural tourism.