The Jianshui Seventeen-Arch Bridge, anchoring the twin dragons to contain the calamitous waters

The Twin Dragon Bridge, located 5 li west of the ancient city of Jianshui in Yunnan Province, is a large stone arch bridge with three pavilions and seventeen arches, commonly known as the 'Seventeen-Arch Bridge'. In Chinese geomancy, it is customary to refer to rivers or mountain ranges as 'dragons'. The Tachong and Lujiang rivers converge here, and the bridge is named for its function of 'anchoring the twin dragons'. In the middle of the bridge stands a three-story pavilion, and at one end there is a pavilion. The bridge is built of huge stones, with a total length of 148.26 meters and a width of 3 meters, looking from afar like a ship with pavilions.