The Baojie Bridge (simplified Chinese: 宝界桥; traditional Chinese: 寶界橋; pinyin: Bǎojiè Qiáo) is a historic stone arch bridge over the Li Lake [zh] in Binhu District of Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.

Baojie Bridge

宝界桥
Coordinates31°31′02″N 120°14′25″E / 31.51721°N 120.24024°E / 31.51721; 120.24024
CarriesPedestrians and bicycles
CrossesLi Lake [zh]
LocaleBinhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialStone
Total length390.74 metres (1,282.0 ft)
Width18.5 metres (61 ft)
History
Construction end1934
Construction cost30 million yuan
Opened16 October 1994
Rebuilt1994
Location
Map

History

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The originally bridge was built by Rong Desheng, a prominent industrialist from Wuxi, in 1934, during his 60th birthday. The bridge is 375 metres (1,230 ft) long and 5.6 metres (18 ft) wide, with 60 bridge openings.[1]

In the 1990s, due to the development of Yuantouzhu Scenic Area (鼋头渚风景区), the China Central Television (CCTV) continued to build Tang Dynasty City (唐城), the Three Kingdoms City (三国城) and Water Margin City (水浒城) as film and television bases in the south of Baojie Mountain (宝界山), which attracted a large number of tourists and caused serious traffic congestion in Baojie Bridge. Larry Yung, grandson of Rong Desheng, donated 30 million yuan to build a new bridge, 390.74 metres (1,282.0 ft) long and 18.5 metres (61 ft) wide, 10 metres (33 ft) east of the old bridge. The opening ceremony was held on 16 October 1994. In December 2011, it was inscribed as a provincial key cultural unit by the Government of Jiangsu.

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References

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  1. ^ Zhang Weizhen (张伟振), ed. (2015-05-01). 吴地古今桥联. Nanjing, Jiangsu: Phoenix Publishing House. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-7-5506-2152-7.