Sanbanqiao, Sanzhi Introduction
Sanban Bridge, located upstream of Datun River in the Sanzi District of New Taipei City, spans the Datun River and is constructed of three sections of stone slabs. It is hidden beneath the new "Sande Bridge," measuring approximately 18 meters in length and 1.3 meters in width. In the Qing Dynasty, it served as an important route for residents of Jinshan, Shimen, and Sanzi Mountain area to access Tamsui. With the development of transportation, the New Taipei City Government built the new "Sande Bridge" in 1933 to facilitate vehicle traffic. According to the inscription beside the bridge, titled "Construction Record of Sande Bridge," the bridge is referred to as "Sanban Bridge" because its structure consists of three sections of stone slabs. The surface of Sanban Bridge can be divided into seven sections, with four sections crossing the valley made of three slabs arranged in sequence, the longest of which measures approximately 400 centimeters. The three sections of the bridge surface on the piers are laid crosswise. The bridge's head columns, initially part of a wooden structure, suffered damage due to repeated flooding, leading to its reconstruction as a stone bridge in the 14th year of Tongzhi, as evidenced by the inscription on the columns. There are three piers, constructed by stacking long stones to support the bridge surface, with the dimensions of the stone cross-section being approximately 20x25 centimeters. This bridge also serves as the entrance to the ancient Datun River Trail at the northern end of Xinzhuang.
