Chengyang Bridge (1916) Sanjiang, China

Located in Sanjiang County of Guangxi Municipality, Chengyang “Wind and Rain” Bridge is one of the most famous and striking bridges in China. A wind and rain bridge is a covered corridor bridge with benches and pavilions to allow people to meet and rest shielded from the elements.​

The Chengyang Bridge, one of the outstanding examples of its type, has 3 floor levels containing 5 pavilions, 19 verandas and a platform at either end. It is supported by 5 stone piers and has a total length of 64.4m. The corridor is 3.4m wide and the height above the river is 10m. The upper structure is elaborately designed with towers reminiscent of pagodas and palaces above each of the 5 piers. It is made almost entirely of wood and the extensive roof is covered with tiles.​

The bridge, also known as Panlong Bridge and Yongji Bridge, was constructed in 1916 (some sources say 1912) to link local villages across the Linxi River and the wooden superstructure was built without the use of nails or rivets. In their place the talented Dong workmen used tenons and dove-tailing for the many wooden pieces.​

There’s a tile-roofed corridor on the bridge body, which is a raised tower structure. And on the top of the bridge, there are several roofs higher than the body of the bridge. The five piers support bridge pavilions shaped like pagodas and palaces. In addition, there are brightly-colored lifelike carvings and paintings adorning the corridor and the eaves of the pavilions.​

Still in daily use almost 100 years after construction the Chengyang Bridge was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1996.​

Links: Wikipedia