The Bridge in Duan Chengbei

Beiqiao Village’s name has a clear origin. It lies one kilometer north of Duancheng County, facing the county town across the Huixiang River. The North Bridge, which connects the village to the county town, gave the village its name. The bridge is more than just the essential route for leaving the village and traveling back and forth. It has also faithfully witnessed Zhang Jicheng and Duan Meilan’s married life and family, while offering a vivid glimpse of the many sides of life in Beiqiao Village. Duancheng County lies on the Huai River alluvial plain in northern Jiangsu, China. Its flat terrain and fertile soil have made it an important producer of both summer and autumn grain. For generations, the people here have made their living through farming, quietly laboring across this vast land as they reap a harvest full of hope and promise. Beiqiao Village is remote and relatively isolated. In the 1960s, no urban youths ever set foot here. The villagers focused entirely on agricultural production, rural development, and preserving their traditional way of life, with no connection at all to the era’s movement sending educated youths to the countryside. No one can say for certain when Beiqiao Village first came into being. Most of its residents are descendants of people who migrated from Hongdong, Shanxi, during the Hongwu era of the Ming dynasty. The Zhangs are the largest family, followed by the Lus, then the Suns.