Erxian Guan Covered Bridge

Erxian Temple (also known as Erxian Guan), located at the southeast entrance of Jincun Township, Zezhou County, 12 kilometers east of Jincheng.  Erected from the first year of Daguan (1107) to the seventh year of Zhenghe (1117) in the Song Dynasty, it is named in honor of the two fairy maidens of the Le clan from the Tang Dynasty. This temple is a key national historical and cultural site.

The celestial palace pavilion in the main hall of Erxian Temple comprises two double-story side pavilions, a main pavilion, and a single-arch wooden covered bridge. It is astonishing to find such a covered bridge within a main hall of a Song Dynasty temple. The bridge, 5 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 4 meters high with a span of 3 meters, along with its supporting facilities, is entirely constructed with wood. Its exquisite craftsmanship and dazzling gold finish are remarkable.    Notably, this covered bridge is not for pedestrians but serves as a connecting part of the shrine complex.  

The statues of the two fairy maidens on the main altar, accompanied by slender and elegant maidservant figures in niches on both sides, are rare treasures of Song Dynasty sculpture, truly a sight to behold.

#CoveredBridgesofChina

Wu Weiping (Instagram @wp_bridges_hunter)

Wu Weiping, co-photographer of Fantastic China: 

20 years, 400,000+ kilometers, 100,000 photos...  for capturing the remnants of ancient Chinese Covered Bridges.