Yong'an Bridge in Shouning

Yong'an Bridge in Shouning

Yong'an Bridge is a three-arch stone bridge, stretching 37 meters in total length, 14.5 meters in external width, and 8.9 meters in roadway width

, with the bridgeheads being 12 meters wide. Nineteen stone railings stand on either side of the bridge, with round-carved lions atop the stone pillars at the ends and lotus-leaf-shaped capitals on the others. A pair of exquisitely carved stone lions, male and female, face each other on both sides of the bridgeheads. The bridge's railings are adorned with persimmon calyx patterns and swirling cloud motifs, while the drum stones outside the end pillars are carved with images of deer, tigers, qilin (mythical creatures), rhinoceroses, sheep, and butterflies. On the northern side of the bridge, two dragons peer out from the front, while a pair of dragon tails emerge from the southern side. Viewed from afar, they create the vivid and ingeniously designed impression of two dragons carrying the bridge.