Yunlong: Museum of ancient bridges

Located in west Yunnan’s Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunlong County boasts many rivers. Where there are rivers, there will be bridges. And each bridge has its unique views in Yunlong.

The Tongjing Bridge has straddled on the banks of Pijiang River for more than 100 years. With a roof, the bridge is a shelter for local people during raining days. The Guteng Bridge, built with vines, is a unique view on the Baishisong River. The Guandi Shengjun Bridge, a single-arch bridge built in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1912), is now a protection site of national cultural relics.

Yunlong is abundant with salt. In the ancient times, the bridges in the county had made salt trade smooth and convenient for hundreds of years, contributing to the commercial and cultural exchanges between Yunlong and the outside world.

The vine, brick, wood, stone bridges across rivers and hiding in the mountains integrate themselves into the nature. They are witnesses of Yunlong’s history. With so many kinds of age-old bridges, Yunlong is also dubbed as the museum of ancient bridges. 

Photo by Huang Xingneng from Yunnan Daily