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Three
Step Two PiecesBridge
People riding horses and writing inscriptions on the columns, contribute
their knowledge to build Jichuang.
The waves are reflecting through two apertures of the bridges while
the river is connecting Yijian Spring.
There are many traditional fables about Three Step Two PiecesBridge
in Fengqiao region. By legend, in the 2nd year of Emperor Zhide's
Reign of Tang Dynasty (757 A.D.), the farmers dug out four stone Buddha
figurers which are smiling at each other, so people collected money
to build a temple called Stone Buddha Temple. After the temple was
built, the pilgrims from all regions came to worship the Buddha, but
the two rivers in front of the temple stopped them. So the monks raised
money and built two bridges at the junction of the two rivers. There
are only three steps from the first bridge to the second bridge and
this is how its name generated. The bridge has a history of more than
1250 years.
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There is another story that, there was a business man in Ming Dynasty
who opened a pawnshop nearby. Because of his prosperous businesses,
he wanted to do some charity matters to show his appreciation. At
his own expenses, he built two stone arch bridges and named them after
his son and daughter, Changfeng Bridge and Juxiu Bridge. There is
a couplet on the columns in the south of the bridge "people riding
horses and writing inscriptions on the columns, contribute their knowledge
to build Jichuang" while no couplet on the columns in the north.
The east and west ends of the bridge have the description of Juxiu,
with two guardrails. There is a couplet on the columns in the east
side of bridge: "lock the vein of Plum Blossom Continent and
hold Buddhist monk's cane on the sandy dike" while a couplet
in the west "The waves are reflecting through two apertures of
the bridges while the river is connecting Yijian Spring.". The
"Plum Blossom Continent" and "Yijian Spring" in
these couplets refers to the sights of Stone Buddha Temple. There
are only three steps from the first bridge to the second bridge. Due
to this unique structure, it is called Three Step Two PiecesBridge.
Now, the Three Step Two PiecesBridges is one of the symbols of the
historical culture of Fengqiao region. Walking along the river, when
you see a joint of five rivers, the bridge over them is the so called
Three Step Two PiecesBridge. There is narrow long path flourished
by green bamboos and reeds. You cannot see its end but the dark blue
smoke curled up from the forest, peach orchard. It looks just like
the land of idyllic beauty described in ancient poems.
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