'World museum of bridge art' nestled in SW China's mountains

Photo shows a vine bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Located in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Yunlong county is home to nearly 100 bridges of various types, according to the county's bureau of culture and tourism.

Among them is an ancient cluster of 37 bridges that spans along the Bijiang River, a tributary of the Lancang River, and several smaller streams. The cluster was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 2013.

The abundance and diversity of its bridges have made Yunlong known as a "world museum of bridge art."

Photo shows a vine bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo provided by the publicity department of the CPC Yunlong county committee)

Yunlong's mountainous terrain, cut by deep valleys and rivers, has made bridges an essential part of daily life since ancient times. The county was once home to salt wells and silver mines, and these bridges served as crucial links that kept goods moving along the ancient Salt Horse Road in western Yunnan.

The oldest bridges in Yunlong are vine bridges, dating back more than 2,000 years. Built with twisted rattan ropes and wooden planks, a few of these bridges remain today, offering rare insights into local history and culture across western Yunnan.

Another hallmark of Yunlong's heritage is its wooden-beam bridges, which account for 15 of the 37 in the local ancient bridge cluster. Over time, builders created hybrid structures, pairing wooden piers with wooden beams and stone arches with wooden beams.

Beyond their architectural appeal, Yunlong's ancient bridges have long facilitated closer ties among different ethnic groups along the river and stand as a living witness to the region's cultural exchange and integration.

Intern Hou Shuyue contributed to this story.

Photo shows a wooden beam bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo provided by the Yunlong county bureau of culture and tourism)

Photo shows a wooden beam bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Photo shows a steel truss bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo provided by the Yunlong county bureau of culture and tourism)

Photo shows a stone arch bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Yang Lijun)

Photo shows a steel suspension bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Photo shows a chain suspension bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)

Photo shows a wooden beam bridge in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Hao)