Walking Into a Smoother Year: The Tongji Bridge Tradition in Southern China
- Maggie
- Mar 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 4
Every year on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, people in Foshan perform a seemingly simple yet profoundly meaningful act—walking across Tongji Bridge. Built during the Ming Dynasty, the bridge's name “Tongji” signifies “first open, then prosper”: only when paths are clear can people pass; only when hearts are at ease can lives be fulfilling.
Built during the Ming Dynasty, the bridge's name “Tongji” signifies “first open, then prosper”: only when paths are clear can people pass; only when hearts are at ease can lives be well lived. Centuries ago, it served as a vital thoroughfare for merchants traveling between Shunde and Panyu. Over time, a belief took root: walking this bridge during the New Year would dispel life's “obstacles.”
Thus emerged the saying: “Walk Tongji, no worries.” In Cantonese, “worries” (閉翳) signify troubles. Crossing the bridge brings fewer sorrows in the new year. People often carry small windmills, symbolizing “turning one's fortune around,” and hold two heads of lettuce, as ‘lettuce’ (生菜) sounds like “prosperity” (生财). After crossing the bridge, bringing the lettuce home is like bringing good fortune back with you.
Tongji Bridge once vanished as the river silted up and the structure was converted into a roadway. Remarkably, even without the bridge, people continued walking along that stretch. When it was rebuilt in 2001, nine anti-slip grooves were added on the north side and thirteen on the south—a subtle nod to the old numerological belief of “nine outings and thirteen returns.” Life may involve calculations, but hearts always yearn for smooth sailing.
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From the fourth day of the first lunar month A Spring Ritual in Southern China: How One Village Turns Tradition into a Living Performancel, to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month Walking Into a Smoother Year: The Tongji Bridge Tradition in Southern China carry forward wishes for the coming year through a series of celebrations.
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