Breathtakingly Beautiful! The Only Ancient Bridge in China "Covered Entirely with Porcelain Tiles"

Breathtakingly Beautiful! The Only Ancient Bridge in China "Covered Entirely with Porcelain Tiles"

Among the ancient stone bridges still existing nationwide, there is only one "entirely decorated with porcelain tiles"—the Ancient Bridge on Shupu Street in Huwan, Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province. At first sight, the colorful porcelain tiles covering the entire bridge can leave all visitors speechless instantly.

🍶 Historical Background

- Huwan was the "Book Town of Jiangnan" during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with over a hundred bookstores at its peak. The ancient bridge was a necessary passage for book merchants transporting books.
- The bridge was originally built during the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, funded by local book merchants: since Huwan produced thin porcelain tiles, craftsmen used discarded colorful porcelain (blue and white, famille rose, doucai) to decorate the bridge body, saving money while showcasing the elegance of the book town.
- Despite multiple repairs over a century, the porcelain tile decoration has been fully preserved. Today, it is a provincial-level cultural heritage site, regarded as a "cross-disciplinary artwork of books and porcelain."

🛕 Structure of the Ancient Bridge

A single-arch stone bridge, about 20 meters long and 3 meters wide, with a bluestone slab deck. The railings on both sides and the bridge piers are entirely inlaid with porcelain tiles—breaking the traditional "bare stone" style of ancient bridges, making it a unique romantic feature in southern ancient architecture.

🎨 Irreplaceable Porcelain Tile Mosaic

- The main colors are the blue of blue-and-white porcelain and the pink of famille rose. Under sunlight, the tiles reflect like a "flowing rainbow," while on rainy days, they emit a hazy glaze luster.
- The tile patterns are all "bookstore elements": including landscape illustrations from ancient books, book merchants' seal patterns, and even "book proofreading" and "block carving" images, effectively pasting Huwan’s book industry history onto the bridge.
- The mosaic technique is "broken porcelain inlay," with tiles as small as fingernails fitted tightly together. Even the gaps in the bridge piers hide small porcelain flowers, impressing detail enthusiasts.

✒️ Inscriptions on the Bridge

- On the bluestone slabs at both ends of the bridge railings, the phrase "Wenjin Tongqu" (meaning "Cultural Thoroughfare") is engraved. On the sides are the donation records of the book merchants, written in Huwan bookstore’s unique "Xieke style," delicate yet powerful.
- On the inner stone wall of the bridge arch, the faint inscription "Repaired in the Qianlong XX year" can be seen, blending perfectly with the porcelain decoration, representing a perfect balance of "functionality" and "aesthetics."

📍 Practical Information

- Address: End of Shupu Street, Huwan Town, Jinxi County, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province
- Transportation: Drive and navigate to "Huwan Shupu Street," or take a bus from Fuzhou to Huwan Town and walk 10 minutes
- Opening Hours: Open all day, no fences or barriers (please protect the porcelain tiles and do not touch)
- Tips: Recommended to visit on a sunny afternoon when the sunlight hits the tiles at an angle for the best colors in photos