Lonngtung Broken Bridge, South Broken Bridge Introduction
The remaining beautiful towering columns of the Longteng Bridge stand amidst the weeds on the eastern side of the railway, about two kilometers south of Shengsing after passing Miaoli Station along the Mountain Line Railway. This ancient site evokes memories of the devastating Central Taiwan Earthquake, leaving behind a trace called the Longteng Broken Bridge. The earthquake occurred on the morning of April 21, 1935, with its epicenter near Guandao Mountain, severely affecting the Sanyi area. The majestic Longteng Creek Bridge on the Mountain Line Railway was completely destroyed. After the quake, a new bridge was constructed to the west of the original, leaving the arch-shaped columns standing in the blazing sun and harsh winds as a memorial for future generations. This broken red brick arch bridge was built by the Japanese around 1905, and the craftsmen who constructed it were all hired from Guangdong, China. The Japanese had strict quality control, and the entire bridge was made entirely of red bricks and cement without any steel reinforcement, yet its structure was extremely tight and robust. In earlier years, due to hardship and inconvenient transportation, local residents, witnessing the fallen red brick bridge from the earthquake, attempted to hit some bricks home for building walls, but they often found only a few intact bricks after a whole day's effort, illustrating the bridge's general sturdiness. This is also one of the reasons why the broken bridge has endured for over a century and still stands resilient.
