Quan Thanh Stone Bridge

(Baonghean)Coming to the countryside of Trung Thanh commune (Yen Thanh), everyone will be able to step on the rare stone bridge remaining in Nghe An.

That is Quan Thanh stone bridge, connecting Bau Roc river (also known as Bau Da), in hamlet 5, Trung Thanh commune. The bridge is located between the border of Nam Thanh and Trung Thanh communes (Yen Thanh). The entire bridge surface and pillars are made of green stone, assembled very carefully with tight mortise and tenon joints by the hands of craftsmen. The bridge is nearly 30m long, has 18 spans, 18 pillars, 1.37m wide, and is made of 40 stone slabs. Each span is made of 2-3 stone slabs, each slab is 1.67m long, the widest slab is 95.5cm, the narrowest slab is 41.5cm. The stone slabs are joined together with very tight and sturdy stone mortise and tenon joints. Every day, bicycles, motorbikes and even farm vehicles travel very conveniently. Despite more than 90 years of ups and downs from natural disasters and floods, the bridge is still intact, without any tilt or shaking.



Quan Thanh Stone Bridge

According to some local documents, Quan Thanh stone bridge was built in the year of Tan Dau - the 6th year of Khai Dinh (1921), by Mr. Nguyen Van Thuyet. The bridge was completed in the year of Nham Tuat - the 7th year of Khai Dinh (1922). Nguyen Van Thuyet's common name is Mr. Ba Thuyet (Mr. Ba Hoan). He originally came from Phu Luu village, now Ich Hau commune, Loc Ha district (Ha Tinh). Mr. Thuyet brought his parents and younger brother to live in Nhan Thap village, Yen Thanh district (Nghe An). There, he stayed at the house of the patriarch Nguyen Van Khuong and studied with the Confucian scholar Le Huan Dao. He was chosen by the Thai family to be their son-in-law to teach their children and grandchildren, his wife was Mrs. Thai Thi Chieu. Because he did not have a son, he devoted himself to charity work, building a pagoda in his garden to pray for Buddha's blessing. Because he saw Bau Roc was wide, hindering the travel of people in the area, he thought of building a stone bridge across the lake to make it sturdy. In the year of Tan Dau (1921), he mobilized people to contribute and spend their own money to build a stone bridge. He drew the design himself, then reported to the district magistrate for approval. After approval, Mr. Thuyet went all the way to Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh to hire good stonemasons and mobilize workers to chisel and carve the stone to build the bridge. After completing the bridge, Mr. Thuyet also gave birth to a son, at that time he was 65 years old. The village also erected a stele to record Mr. Thuyet's achievements, and to record the names of those who contributed money to build the bridge. Due to the long years, the words on the stele have faded so no one has been able to translate it.

Now the villagers on both sides are crowded, people still cross back and forth safely every day. Many officials from different fields have come here to study, and some opinions say that Quan Thanh stone bridge should be ranked as a relic to protect and honor the homeland.

Xuan Hoang