The Flying Bridge (Feilian Qiao) at Jinci Temple is a cross-shaped Song-dynasty bridge over the spring pools in front of the Hall of the Holy Mother — two walkways crossing at right angles, supported on a central pier, so that the pool is crossed in four directions simultaneously. Built in the 11th century, it is the oldest surviving example of this bridge type in China, and the elegance of the engineering solution — solving a spatial problem with minimal visual disturbance to the pool it spans — is as satisfying now as it was when the bridge was designed.
The bridge is approached from the Fish Pond terraces that front the Hall of the Holy Mother. Standing on the central crossing point, you can look in four directions simultaneously: toward the hall entrance, toward the garden, and across the spring pools to either side. The reflections of the Song hall in the water below are particularly beautiful in morning light.