A hometown icon
“As far as people from Xiluo are concerned, the bridge is an important landmark, a symbol of their hometown. It holds great historical and cultural importance, and we hope it can live on,” says Ho.
In 2001 and 2005 respectively, the counties of Yunlin and Changhua listed the bridge as a heritage site. To preserve the bridge’s structural integrity, large trucks and buses are prohibited from using it.
As a result of cooperation between the Yunlin County Government and the LCEF, the bridge has at times been converted into a performance stage and art gallery. The county has put on several Xiluo Bridge Culture Festivals, turning it into a stage for traditional performing arts troupes, and the LCEF has sponsored sculpture exhibitions there. With Taiwan’s longest river flowing underneath, the bridge’s steel trusses complement the works of sculpture, creating picturesque scenes amid the glow of the sunset.
Tourist attractions
Chen Shu-yen, chief of Xiluo Township’s agricultural economics department, says that in Yunlin County, only Beigang Township has more temples dedicated to Mazu than Xiluo. For pilgrims, crossing the Xiluo Bridge symbolizes that their final destination is nearing. “The bridge is an important milestone on the pilgrimage route.” In recent years, the Fusing Temple has organized the Taiping Mazu Blessing Marathon, which crosses the Xiluo Bridge. The bridge is on Taiwan Cycling Route No. 1, and crossing it symbolizes having gone half the length of the island. “Arriving at the Xiluo Bridge holds multiple layers of significance that symbolize major achievements and hold deep meaning in one’s life journey.”
Chen Shu-yen says that the opening of the bridge made the area around it a focal point for economic development in Yunlin. Some 200 meters from the bridgehead, the streets around Yanping Road feature some charming old buildings, along with local attractions such as the Xiluo Community Museum, the East Market, and the Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce factory, as well as local shops selling mochi and maltose.
At the Xizhou end of the bridge there is a signboard featuring the poem “Meeting on the Bridge,” which Wu Sheng wrote to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its opening: “Holding hands, listening together to the Zhuoshui River... We find unity in guardianship.”
Malt crisps are one of the foods that Xiluo is famous for.
Bearing witness to the town’s rich architectural history, the old streets around Yanping Road feature many Qing-Dynasty and Japanese-era buildings.