Bridges are important in ancient Chinese structures. With their own history, bridges link places together. Bridges are not only a convenient facility for transportation but also decorations of nature. There are many ancient bridges in Beijing, too.
The oldest and longest multi-arched stone bridge – Lugou Bridge
Built in 1189, Lugou Bridge has a history of 826 years. With 11 arches it is 266.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide. There are 485 carved lions on the bridge. Lugou Bridge is the oldest and longest multi-arched stone bridge in Beijing.
Lugou Bridge looks like it used to be after repairing so many times.
The Biggest Bridge in Gardens – 17-Arch Bridge
Nanhu Island and Guoru Pavilion are joined together by the 17-arch bridge. The bridge is the biggest garden-bridge for its length - 150 meters. As a multi-arched stone bridge, it has a bridge floor of 6.56 meters and a height of 7 meters.
The most beautiful bridge group in Beijing: the outer Jinshui Bridge.
Generally, bridges are seldom built together according to their functions. However, as paths to Forbidden City, the bridge group in front of Tiananmen Tower is combined by seven bridges. These beautifully crafted bridges were built in the Ming Dynasty.
The first highway bridge- the old Mentougou Shuizha Bridge
Located at the center of Shidanlu, Longquantown, Mentougou District, the bridge is 253 meters long and 9.3 meters wide. It is a Europe-style bridge built in the Republic of China period. The designer and builders were French and the bridge is the first highway bridge and was taken down by , a book about Chinese famous bridges.
