400-year-old bridge in E China's Poyang Lake shows face after water level drops

With the onset of the dry season 40 days earlier than usual, the water level of Poyang Lake in Duchang County of east China's Jiangxi Province lowered to 9.98 meters, thereby revealing an ancient bridge. This was reported by The Xinhua News Agency.

The bridge is known as Qianyan, or thousand-span bridge, because of its 948 holes that facilitated flood discharge in ancient times. Built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the 2,657-meter-long bridge is the longest stone bridge spanning a lake in China.

The bridge, which usually remains submerged, emerges out of the water when the water level of Poyang Lake is below 10.5 meters. In 2016, the local authorities allocated special funds totaling ¥900,000 (about $127,076) for the bridge's restoration. The bridge is now famous as an important historical and cultural artifact.

Poyang Lake officially entered this year's dry season on Aug. 6. It's the earliest date since records started in 1951.

400-year-old bridge in E China's Poyang Lake. Video Produced by Xinhua Global Service.