Anping Bridge

Anping Bridge 安平桥
Anping Bridge, with Anhai Town in the far background
Coordinates	24°42′27″N 118°26′56″E / 24.7075°N 118.4489°E / 24.7075; 118.4489
Crosses	Shijing River
Locale	Quanzhou, Fujian, China
Characteristics
Design	Beam bridge
Material	Stone
Total length	2,070 metres (6,790 ft)
Width	3 to 3.8 metres (9.8 to 12.5 ft)
No. of spans	331
History
Construction start	1138
Construction end	1151
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	China
Part of	Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China
Criteria	Cultural: (iv)
Reference	1561
Inscription	2021 (44th Session)
Location

Anping Bridge (simplified Chinese: 安平桥; traditional Chinese: 安平橋; pinyin: Ānpíng Qiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: An-pêng Kiô) is a Song dynasty stone beam bridge in Fujian province. It is 2,070 metres (1.29 mi) long.^[1][2] The bridge is also known as the Wuli Bridge (simplified Chinese: 五里桥; traditional Chinese: 五里橋; pinyin: Wǔ Lǐ Qiáo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gō͘-lí-kiô, literally Five Li Bridge) because its length is about 5 li, where a li is about 500 meters or 0.3 miles.^[3] It is a nationally protected historic site registered with the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The bridge lies in the prefecture-level city of Quanzhou, crossing what originally was a tidal estuary of the Shijing River that separates the town of Anhai (in the county-level city of Jinjiang) east of the river, from the town of Shuitou (in the county-level city of Nan'an) west of the river. The bridge is named after Anhai, which was formerly known as Anping.^[3]

Anping Bridge consists of 331 spans of granite beams resting on top of stone piers,^[2][3] the largest beam weighing 25 tons. The width of the bridge varies from 3 to 3.8 metres (9.8 to 12.5 ft). It originally had five pavilions where travelers could rest; however, only one pavilion (Shuixin Pavilion) still exists.^[3]

In 2021, Anping Bridge was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with other Song dynasty sites around Quanzhou because of its importance to medieval maritime trade in China and the exchange of cultures and ideas around the world.^[4]