Qingyuan Covered Bridges

Qingyuan Covered Bridges

The Qingyuan Covered Bridges are designated as cultural heritage sites protected by Zhejiang Province.

Covered bridges hold a significant place in the history of world bridge architecture. Also known as roofed bridges or wind-rain bridges, they are a unique type of bridge featuring covered walkways built atop the bridge deck, categorized into wooden arch, flat beam, and stone arch structures. Among them, wooden arch covered bridges represent the most technologically advanced form of traditional Chinese wooden bridges and are an unparalleled category in the global history of bridge construction, earning them the title of “living fossils” among covered bridges.

Nestled amid the lush mountains and clear waters of Lishui, 134 covered bridges have withstood centuries of wind and rain, including 40 wooden arch covered bridges—accounting for nearly half of the total number nationwide.

Among these, Qingyuan County is home to 88 surviving covered bridges. According to expert research and verification: Qingyuan’s wooden arch covered bridges not only boast the largest quantity, longest history, and most continuous historical evolution in China, but also feature the longest-living, single-span widest, and most roofed-section wooden arch covered bridges in the country—all located within Qingyuan. This makes them truly unique in the world and has earned Qingyuan the reputation of being a “Covered Bridge Museum.”

Website

http://www.zjqy.gov.cn/

Location

Qingyuan County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Zhejiang Province