The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that the oldest bridge spanning the Yangtze River - China's longest river, which has the Three Gorges Dam at its upper reaches - is a disputed title, mainly due to translation errors.
In 1954, China inaugurated a 2,000 km parallel railway and road at Wuhan, Hubei Province, claiming it to be the "first bridge to span the Yangtze River." However, in Chinese, "first" means "number 1" rather than "first from the beginning." And the title actually belongs to a bridge built by Jiang Zonghan earlier, nearly 70 years ago.
According to the book "Draft History of Qing" (tentatively translated: A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty), compiled based on official data in the 1920s, the bridge was named Golden Dragon Bridge or Golden Dragon Bridge, indicating the enormous investment in its construction.
According to SCMP, the bridge has 16 iron chains weighing, covered with wooden planks spanning 90m of the Yangtze River. The two ends of the bridge have a canopy and a wooden sign with the name: "Golden Dragon Bridge." In addition, there is a photo of Jiang Zonghan, along with a memorial tablet inscribed with the line: "The merit of the general is as high as the sun and the moon."
Currently, the first bridge built to span the Yangtze River is not well-known. However, in the 19th century, this bridge was located on a tea transportation route in Yunnan.
The Golden Dragon Bridge has significantly improved access along an important route for traveling caravans from Lijiang to Kunming and Sichuan.
According to officially told stories, Jiang Zonghan built the bridge to demonstrate filial piety. The Peking Gazette newspaper on August 4, 1890 reported that, in fulfillment of his parents' wishes, General Jiang Zonghan of Guizhou built a suspension bridge across the Yangtze River at Huizhou, Yunnan, his hometown. Jiang Zonghan also dedicated a piece of land, with annual income from which was used to maintain the bridge, totaling 14,000 taels of gold.
However, the book "Draft History of Qing" has a different story. When Jiang Zonghan was still a soldier, he was forced to the Yangtze River bank by the enemy and vowed to build a bridge here if he survived.
Chinese researcher Yang Kai also has another version of the story about Jiang Zonghan building the bridge across the Yangtze River: After the boatman refused to ferry him across the river, Jiang Zonghan vowed to build a bridge here so that the boatman and his descendants could avoid hardship.
Jiang Zonghan, the person who built the first bridge across the Yangtze River, died of illness in 1903, at the age of approximately 65. The court donated 250 taels of silver for the funeral expenses, in addition to 350 taels of silver to carve a memorial tablet and promoted Jiang Zonghan's son to the rank of sixth-grade official.
