Taomu Bridge in Wu Gong Qiao Village, Lianzhou, Guangdong

Taomu Bridge is located between Dongtou Natural Village of Lianxi Administrative Village and Wu Gong Qiao Natural Village of Xincun Administrative Village in Xingzi Town, Lianzhou County, Qingyuan City, spanning the Xingzi River. According to the Lianzhou Chronicle of the Tongzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty, it was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Also known as Xincun Wu Gong Qiao Bridge, Taomu Bridge has five arched bridge holes, and the arches are inlaid with horizontal joint masonry. The bridge is 74.6 meters long, the river mouth is 59.5 meters wide, the approach bridge is 12.1 meters long, and the bridge deck is 7.7 meters wide. It is built of thousands of rocks of varying lengths. A boat-shaped water diversion tip is set up to the south of the bridge pier, which is a more typical multi-arch bridge form on the Ancient Post Road in Southern Guangdong. There is a 500-year-old banyan tree on the west bank of the bridge, and about 70 meters from the east bank of the bridge, there is the "Banqiao Pavilion", which is 5.6 meters wide and 8.6 meters deep. It has a brick and wood structure, blue brick walls, a red sandstone strip stone skirt, a yin and yang tile roof, and a beam-lifting frame. The southwest and northeast gates are opened, and a stone plaque with the inscription "Banqiao Pavilion" is inlaid on the lintel. The architectural form is quite unique. There are red sandstone ancient roads on both sides of Banqiao Pavilion, about 0.8 meters wide and 200 meters long. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Taomu Bridge was an important bridge connecting Lingnan to the ancient road of Jingchu. It contains multiple ancient post road elements such as ancient roads, ancient bridges, and ancient pavilions. It has high reference value for studying the bridge architectural art and historical culture of the local area during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is also an important physical heritage of the Ancient Post Road in Southern Guangdong. Key cultural relics protection unit in Guangdong Province.