San Zhi San Ban Qiao Introduction
Sanban Bridge, located upstream of the Datun River in the Shanzhi District of New Taipei City, spans the Datun River and is constructed in three sections using stone slabs. It is hidden beneath the new "Sande Bridge," measuring approximately 18 meters in length and 1.3 meters in width. During the Qing Dynasty, it served as a crucial route for residents of Jinshan, Shimen, and the Sanzi Mountain area to access Tamsui. Due to improved transportation, the Taipei County (now New Taipei City) government built a new bridge, "Sande Bridge," in 1933 for better vehicle and pedestrian access. According to the "Construction Record of Sande Bridge" next to the bridge, the bridge body is constructed in three sections of stone slabs, hence the name "Sanban Bridge." The bridge deck is divided into seven segments, with four segments crossing the gorge made of three aligned stone slabs, the longest measuring about 400 centimeters. The three sections of the bridge deck on the bridge piers are laid out horizontally. The bridge's head pillars were initially made of wood, which deteriorated after multiple floods, prompting the reconstruction into a stone bridge during the fourteenth year of the Tongzhi era, as noted on the head pillars. There are three bridge piers, supporting the deck with elongated stones stacked according to the height of the large stones, with the cross-section dimensions of the elongated stones being approximately 20x25 centimeters. This bridge also marks the entrance to the Datun River ancient path in North Xinzhuang.
