Precious Belt Bridge
The river-laced land of Suzhou is home to the Precious Belt Bridge. Though the bridge traces its history back to the Tang Dynasty of the 600s, it current iteration, meant to resemble a jade belt across the water, was built in 1446 during the Ming Dynasty. The longest multi-arched bridge in China, the Precious Belt features 53 arches and extends over 1,000 feet, including a graceful curve near its center. Stone lions welcome travelers on each end of the historic bridge, which is made entirely of Jinshan granite.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge
The world's longest trans-oceanic bridge extends across the Hangzhou Bay to over 35.673 kilometres. It has six expressway lanes in two directions.
Inaugurated in May 2008, this modern wonder is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both directions. It brings down the distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 km. This architectural wonder cost a whopping 11.8 billion yuan ($1.70 billion).
Xihoumen Bridge
A suspension bridge built on the Zhoushan Archipelago, it is the second longest suspension bridge by the length of the centre span. The 5.3 kilometre long suspension bridge has a 2.6 kilometre long main bridge with a central span of 1,650 metres. The bridge was built at a cost of 2.48 billion yuan ($300 million).
Zhaozhou Bridge
The world's largest and oldest stone-arched bridge, the Zhaozhou Bridge was completed during the Sui Dynasty in the year 616. This 166-foot long bridge, which crosses the Xiaohe River of the Hebei Province, features limestone construction supported by iron reinforcement. Two small, symmetrical arches accent the bridge's gently curving main arch, which resembles a rainbow in the water's reflection.
Carvings of dragons and mythical creatures decorate the Zhaozhou Bridge's balustrades, echoing the many local legends inspired by this beautiful and technologically forward-thinking architectural creation.
Runyang Bridge
The Runyang Bridge is a huge bridge complex that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China. The complex consists of two major bridges that link Zhenjiang on the south bank of the river and Yangzhou on the north. The bridge is a part of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway.
The south bridge is a suspension bridge with a main span of 1,490 metres (4,888 ft). The north bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 406 metres (1,332 ft) with towers 150 metres (492 ft) above water level. The bridge, inaugurated on 30 April 2005, cost 5.8 billion Yuan (about $700 million).
Wind and Rain Bridge
The Guangxi Province's Sanjiang County hosts one of the most famous historic bridges in China, the Wind and Rain Bridge, which crosses the peaceful, tea tree-lined Linxi River. Built in 1916, this wood and stone bridge, which spans about 220 feet, has five wooden towers, all of which feature distinctive multi-layered roofs with horned, upturning eaves. The Wind and Rain Bridge has no nails, even its small details, such as its wooden plank inlays and railings, are expertly fitted together without screws, rivets or adhesives.