Lanxi Covered Bridge
兰溪桥
The best-known Qing-dynasty wooden covered arch bridge near the Qingyuan county seat. Its single span soars over the Songyuan Stream, making it the signature stop on Qingyuan’s covered bridge tour.
Lanxi Covered Bridge spans the Songyuan Stream on the northeast outskirts of Qingyuan County Town. Built in the Qing dynasty, it is a single-span wooden covered arch bridge. Round timbers are woven into “figure-eight brace” arches to bear the load, the deck is topped with a covered gallery, and pavilions stand at both ends. Its light, graceful lines are especially photogenic when reflected in the water. Qingyuan is known as the “Hometown of China’s Covered Bridges,” with close to a hundred surviving bridges. The craft of building wooden arch covered bridges is on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Lanxi Bridge is the most often recommended of them, as it is close to the county town and has beautiful scenery. Visitors can walk onto the bridge for free, and there are exhibits on covered bridge culture nearby. A taxi from the county town takes about 15 minutes. It can be combined with Rulong Bridge and Laifeng Bridge in Yueshan Village for a covered bridge day trip.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Daji Village
- Baishanzu Mountain
- Dayao Longquan Kiln Site
- Yueshan Village & Rulong Covered Bridge
- Fengyang Mountain & Huangmaojian Peak
- Former Site of Zhejiang University Longquan Branch
- Longquan Celadon Museum
- Longquan Celadon Town (Shangyang)