Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge

Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge

Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge is one of the Twenty-Four Scenic Spots of Slender West Lake. The so-called “Twin Peaks” refer to the eastern peak (Guanyin Mountain) and the central peak (Ping Shan Tang and Daming Temple) of Shugang Hill; “Cloud Bridge” refers to the hanging walkways mid-air.

The Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge was built during the Qianlong era by Cheng ?, who held the title of Surveillance Commissioner. Li Dou recorded it in his “Records of Yangzhou’s Painted Pleasure Boats” as follows: “The Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge is situated at the Serpentine Pond. It originally featured scenic spots such as the Listening to the Spring Tower, the Fragrant Dew Pavilion, and the Verdant Ring Pavilion. The most picturesque part lies between the central and eastern peaks of Shugang Hill. The path winds and twists, descending every hundred steps like a dragon traversing a thousand miles with its horns reaching into the sky. Within it are three-tiered waterfalls, with cascading waters resembling flying jade and splashing snow, vigorous and majestic. Below, towering stone cliffs stand thousands of feet high. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, wooden walkways and bridges were built atop them. The pathways are lined with many stone walls, and inscribed on the rock wall next to the bridge are the four characters ‘Pine Winds and Bright Moon,’ written by the imperial censor Gao Heng…”

On August 18, 2013, as one of 16 major city projects and a key initiative in the construction of the Cultural Expo City, construction of the Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge began. The project covers an area of approximately 35,000 square meters and was rebuilt on the original site according to the “Records of Yangzhou’s Painted Pleasure Boats,” highlighting four key elements: mountain rocks, cascading water, clouds, and the bridge walkways. The design takes advantage of the natural elevation differences of the mountain cliffs on both sides and the waters in the north and south to create a natural landscape of waterfalls and cascading waters, thus recreating the scene described as “flying jade and splashing snow, vigorous and majestic.” The mountain rocks were mainly stacked and arranged in various forms on the basis of the existing hillsides as needed, blending naturally with the surrounding environment to recreate the scenery of caves, ravines, valleys, cliffs, and rocky beaches. The cascading water features are designed in three tiers, with the highest tier flowing down from the Listening to the Spring Pavilion and the artificial hill nearby, with a drop of 7 meters, forming different landscapes including waterfalls, water caves, deep pools, ponds, and streams.

In April 2014, the Twin Peaks Cloud Bridge scenic area was completed and opened to the public, becoming a highlight of the Shugang–Slender West Lake scenic area, which is advancing toward becoming a world-class park.