Built in 1137 during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Rainbow Bridge stretches over a river near the old street of Qinghua Town, which is 14 miles (22 km) north of Wuyuan County. Having stood for more than 800 years, this bridge is the longest covered bridge in the area of ancient Huizhou (Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces, nowadays). As one of the most beautiful covered bridges in China, it features beautiful natural scenery and abundant cultural relics. There are many engineering features on the bridge that embody the wisdom of the ancient Chinese. Today, Rainbow Bridge is the best known scenic spot in Wuyuan.
The exquisite design of the roof of this kind of covered bridge reveals its true beauty. In addition, this bridge acts as a shelter when it rains. With a length of 459 feet (140 meters) and a width of 9 feet (3 meters), this bridge is equipped with four bridge piers, five bridge openings and six gallery pavilions. The bridge piers are shaped like a half-boat. The front parts are pointed while the back parts are more flat and smooth. The main purpose of this kind of special architectural design is to decrease the impact of strong river currents.
The bridge girders are made from four one-hundred year old pine trees. The cleverest design is that each gallery pavilion of the bridge is independent for easy repair and management. Even if one of the pavilions is destroyed by flood, the other ten can still remain intact. In this way, the main body of the bridge has been well-preserved to this day.
There is a Chinese legend about the origin of the name of this bridge. During the Southern Song Dynasty, before the construction of Rainbow Bridge, there was only a simple and easily damaged wooden bridge that was often destroyed by flood. This situation brought much trouble to merchants and villagers. At that time, there were two philanthropists from Qinghua Village trying to build a permanent and stable bridge. After five years, the construction of the new bridge was finally completed. When people tried to name this bridge, at that time, a rainbow appeared in the blue sky. This amazing phenomenon made all of the villagers believe that it was the symbol of happiness and good luck. Hence, the bridge is named “Rainbow Bridge”. From then on, no matter merchants, villagers or students, everyone wanted to walk on this bridge in order to pray for their wishes.
Embraced by mountains, this area looks like an exquisite landscape painting. Rainbow Bridge is built across a river. Upstream of the river is Penholder Mountain; downstream is a small masonry dam. Between the bridge and the dam lies Little West Lake. Villagers and merchants believe that this lake is like a patron saint to protect their health and wealth. Nowadays, during spring and summer, the bridge becomes a popular place that attracts more and more tourists to take photos. Most serious photographers indulge themselves in this kind of beautiful landscape enthusiastically.
Transportation：
Take the minibus at Wuyuan County Bus Station, and get off at Rainbow Bridge Station.
There are many direct buses from 06:00 am to 16:30 pm every day.
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