Sanzhi Sanban Bridge

A stone footbridge over Datun Creek (大屯溪) near Beixinzhuang, first built in the Daoguang reign by Lin Yong (林永), a settler from Tong’an, Fujian, so that hill farmers could carry tea and other produce down to Tamsui without fording the flood-prone stream. The present bridge dates to its rebuilding in 1871 and takes its name from the three andesite slabs that span four openings across piers of natural boulders, about 18 meters in all. The concrete Sande Bridge (三德橋) replaced it in 1993, and it was designated a monument in 2008; it still carries hikers onto the Datun Creek trail, with only its timber handrails replaced.