Jiuwu Bridge (Bridge of Wine-related Affairs)

There is a lively wine-related folk song in Shaoxing, which uses natural numbers to enumerate the important bridges in the ancient city. Jiuwu Bridge, or the Bridge of Wine-related affairs comes ninth. From this, we can infer the great importance Shaoxing people attach to the bridge. Its relationship with Shaoxing and Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine can be traced far back in history.

Jiuwu Bridge is located at the crossroads of the Renmin West Road and Cangqiao Street --- a street with a long history. During the reign of the Lizong Emperor in the Southern Song Dynasty, the wine industry in Shaoxing was enjoying a boom. In the area from Jiuwu Bridge to the northwest side of Wolong Hill (Hill of Crouching Dragon), a lot of wine storages were settled there. In order to strengthen the management over wine sales and facilitate the collection of wine taxes, the local government set up a special yamen in charge of wine-related affairs to the southeast of Jiuwu Bridge. As time went by, the bridge was closely associated with wine. Hence its name Jiuwu Bridge, or the Bridge of Wine-related Affairs, which remains in use now.