Tiansheng Bridge, the coolest bridge built by nature

In Chinese culture, the connotation of bridges seems to be particularly complex. For example, the Broken Bridge in West Lake has long surpassed the scope of transportation.

There is also a kind of "bridge" on the surface of the earth. They are not built by humans, but are the unintentional wonders of nature. This is the "natural bridge".

Natural bridges are common in karst areas and are a type of karst landform. But in fact, all rocks can form natural bridges due to weathering and collapse. Therefore, the correct definition of natural bridges should be: all "bridge-shaped" natural rocks that span the earth. Natural bridges can develop in karst landforms, Danxia landforms, and even other sandstone landforms, granite landforms, loess landforms, and volcanic rock landforms.

▲Zangzang Dingqingzi Zhushan Natural Bridge. Photo by Li Zhongdong

This kind of bridge is neither for connecting the two banks nor for "crossing" the river. They are the landscapes left on the earth by mountains, rocks, caves and rivers.

There are different ways to classify natural bridges. According to the rocks that form them, they can be divided into karst natural bridges and non-karst natural bridges. According to their scale, they can be divided into giant, large, medium and small. According to the landforms they cross under the bridges, they can be divided into river type, dry valley type, ridge type and mountain type.

The area with the most natural bridges discovered in the world is the Colorado Plateau sandstone distribution area in the southwestern United States. There, Arches National Park in Utah is dotted with more than 2,000 stone arches of various sizes.

There are also many natural bridges in my country, mainly concentrated in the limestone distribution areas and sandstone distribution areas in the west and south. For example, Fengshan County in Guangxi, Liping County in Guizhou, Wulong District in Chongqing, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, Danxia Mountain in Guangdong, Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, etc. In addition, they are occasionally found near some coasts and loess areas.

▲Arches National Park in Utah is home to the world's largest number of natural bridges. Photo by Shanling (TuChong Creative)

1. Karst Natural Bridge

Karst natural bridges are the most widespread and common natural bridges, mostly formed by the collapse of underground rivers or cave roofs. Natural bridges are difficult to distinguish from other types of through-hole landscapes. Some experts believe that whether a natural bridge is a natural bridge should be determined by whether the sunlight can reach the entire passage.

my country's southwestern region is the area with the most developed karst natural bridges. Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi all have spectacular natural bridge landscapes.

▲The Holy Elephant Gate on the north bank of Namtso Lake in Tibet. Photo by beatles1919 (TuChong Creative)

01 Chongqing Wulong Three Natural Bridges

Chongqing Wulong is a famous karst landscape with numerous caves, China's deepest vertical shaft, the most spectacular tiankeng and fissures, and three natural bridges.

The Three Natural Bridges, also known as the Three Dragon Cave Bridges, are Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge and Heilong Bridge. They are distributed in the Yangshui River Canyon within a range of 1.5 kilometers, forming a dense group of natural bridges. The bridges are alternately separated by tiankengs, forming a unique combination in the world.

The Three Natural Bridges are famous for their height and magnificence. No matter the bridge height, arch height, arch span or bridge deck thickness, they are rare in the world, which is why they are listed as a World Natural Heritage Site.

▲Qinglong Bridge, one of the three natural bridges in Wulong. Photo by Tuchong Creative

02 Guizhou Yunmen Duntian Bridge

Also known as "Chuanya" and "Heavenly Gate on Water", it is located in Xinpuxin, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, on the southern slope of Dalou Mountain. Tiansheng Bridge is located at the confluence of Luoan River and Meijiang River, and was developed in the Permian Qixia-Maokou Formation limestone. The bridge body is steep and magnificent, with dense vegetation on the bridge and Luoan River flowing under the bridge. Tiansheng Bridge has a span of 80 meters, an arch height of 100 meters, a bridge deck thickness of 20-30 meters, and a bridge width of 80 meters.

In the early morning or at dusk, the morning glow and evening light pass through the cave, and the Luoan River is full of colorful gold. A light boat comes floating on the golden waves, as if entering a fairyland.

▲Tuntiansheng Bridge in Yunmen, Guizhou. Photo by Zhishan Lu Wei (TuChong Creative)

03Natural Bridge in Zhijin Cave, Guizhou

The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is known as the "Karst Plateau" and is full of karst wonders. The Zhijin Grand Canyon has developed multiple surface karst landforms such as peak clusters, tiankengs, and natural bridges. Together with underground rivers and caves, they form a complete karst development system, making it a rare karst canyon formation and evolution model on the earth's surface.

The Zhijin Natural Bridge Group consists of five natural bridges, which span the Qijie River and are the remnants of underground karst caves after uplift and erosion. The height and arch height are nearly 100 meters, and the scale and form are complete and typical. Some of them have a unique double-hole bridge arch structure, and the overall structure is an upper and lower double-layer structure. It is the only giant double-layer and double-hole natural bridge group discovered in China and abroad.

▲The natural bridge over the Qijie River in Zhijin Cave. Photo by Yang Jian

04Zhangjiajie Tianmen Cave Natural Bridge

China's most famous natural bridge is located 8 kilometers south of Zhangjiajie City. The middle of Tianmen Mountain is an underground cave on the edge of the plateau, which was formed by the dissolution and collapse of rock layers at the north and south ends.

Tianmen Mountain was called Songliang Mountain in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, a hole was opened in the wall of Songliang Mountain, and it was named after the north and south holes, which were as bright as a gate. The Tianmen Cave under the bridge is the highest natural mountain-penetrating cave in the world, 131.5 meters high, 57 meters wide and 60 meters deep. There are often rays of light shining through the cave, or white clouds and purple mist, which create a fairyland-like effect.

▲Tianmen Cave in Zhangjiajie. Photo by Tuchong Creative

05 Guangxi Leye-Fengshan World Geopark Natural Bridge Group

It was approved as a World Geopark by UNESCO in 2010 and is a typical representative of the karst in southern my country. It is famous for its densely developed tiankeng groups, with nearly 30 tiankengs of different sizes, as well as its unique skylights, natural bridges, caves, and through-holes.

The natural bridges in the park mainly include Buluhe Natural Bridge, Jiangzhou Natural Bridge, Maguaidong Sky Bridge, Mengli Natural Bridge and Mawangdong Cave Natural Bridge, among which Buluhe Natural Bridge has the longest span in the world and Jiangzhou Natural Bridge has the second longest span in the world.

▲Xianren Bridge in Bulu River, Guangxi. Photo by Huang Yongjia (TuChong Creative)

06 Tibet Zizhu Mountain Natural Bridge

Zizhu Mountain, located in Shagong Township, Dingqing County, Qamdo, Tibet, is a high-altitude karst natural bridge with an altitude of 4,800 meters. It is the highest natural bridge in the world.

Most of the karst natural bridges in the warm and humid areas of the south are developed in canyons and are known for their grandeur, breadth and depth. The Zizhu Mountain Natural Bridge is developed on the mountain ridge and is majestic. Through the arch of the bridge, the blue sky is like a hole, as if the edge of the world is here, and through the hole, it is the heaven.

Zizhu Mountain, where the Tiansheng Bridge is located, is surrounded by Danxia landforms, where karst forms peaks and stone forests, and is rugged and rugged. The brightness of Danxia and the ruggedness of karst are perfectly integrated here.

The famous Zizhu Temple is built on the mountain, with Zen temples stacked between peaks and rocks. Zhuzhu Mountain is one of the four sacred mountains of Bon religion, and Zizhu Temple is the dojo of Guanyin Bodhisattva. The steep terrain and the high altitude far away from the secular world make this place a quiet place for practicing Dharma.

▲Zizhu Mountain Natural Bridge. Photo by Li Zhongdong

2. Natural bridge made of gravel

Danxia landforms are widely distributed in my country, and natural bridges are a more prominent type of Danxia landforms. Red sandstone, mudstone, etc. often form natural bridges under the action of gravity.

Unlike karst areas, natural bridges in Danxia landforms are less affected by flowing water, especially river erosion. Therefore, natural bridges are often unrelated to river valleys and often appear near ridges.

▲The natural bridge in the conglomerate Danxia of Jianmen Pass. Photo by Yang Jian

01 Hunan Feitian Mountain Natural Bridge Group

Feitian Mountain in Hunan is a national geological park dominated by Danxia landforms. Xu Xiake once praised it as "all the peaks at the mouth of the river are surrounded by cliffs, every inch of land is beautiful, and every mountain is unique".

Feitianshan Danxia is characterized by Danyazhaibao, and caves are rare. Among them, the "Chuantan" is the natural bridge. There are four "Chuantan" (natural bridges) in the park, including Heitan, Chuantan, and Yujiazhai Natural Bridge.

Chuantan, known as "Heavenly Gate" or "Beauty Looking in the Mirror" by locals, is 35 meters high and 95 meters across, making it the largest span natural bridge in the park. Heitan, located on the steep red cliff northeast of Shenxianzhai, has a cave 120 meters wide, 50 meters deep and 35 meters high. It was praised by Huang Jin, president of the Chinese Danxia Landform Research Association, as "the best in China and a wonder of the world". Yujiazhai Natural Bridge, located in the north of Yujiazhai, is more than 10 meters high and has a span of more than 20 meters. Cars can drive under the bridge to the village, and people can walk on the bridge. It is known as "the giant eye of nature and the bridge of the earth".

▲A volcanic eruption at Feitian Mountain in Hunan. Photo by Li Zhongdong

02 Sichuan Wusheng Natural Bridge

Also known as Shengli Chuanyan, it is a famous scenic spot in ancient Dingyuan, called "Chuanyan Xiyue". It was developed in Jurassic quartz sandstone and was formed due to differential weathering between rocks. The bridge is more than 500 meters long, with a hyperbolic bridge hole, a span of 62 meters, an arch height of 15 meters, a dome thickness of 3 meters, and a bridge deck width of 4 to 8 meters. The entire bridge runs north-south. There is a deep ditch on the east side, which penetrates the rock wall and is shaped like a half moon. The top of the bridge can be reached from the side. Standing on the top of the bridge, the surrounding fields are open, with streams, farmland, mulberry and bamboo in good order.

A mountain stronghold was built on the top of the bridge, and the stronghold gate and the soldier cave are still intact. It is said that this stronghold was the northern boundary of the Baozhensai people's defense building complex. Three ancient temples were built at the beginning, end and middle of the Tiansheng Bridge. The dragon's tail is called "Leizu Temple", the dragon's body is called Chuanyan Temple, and the dragon's head is called Longtou Temple, but they have all been destroyed.

▲Wusheng Natural Bridge. Photo/from the Internet

03 Zhangjiajie Yuanjiajie Natural Bridge

Zhangjiajie is a rare sandstone peak forest in the world, with thousands of peaks and rocks, like a fairyland. Yuanjiajie's natural bridge is known as the "No. 1 Bridge in the World". It is one of the "Top Ten Wonders" in Zhangjiajie and a landmark attraction in Yuanjiajie. It is located between two mountains. The two mountains were originally one, but due to the weathering and collapse of the rocks in the middle, the bridge was suspended in the air. The bridge deck is two meters wide, four meters thick, with a span of more than 20 meters and a height of more than 300 meters. It is the natural stone bridge with the highest drop found in the world so far.

▲The natural bridge formed by quartz sandstone in Zhangjiajie and Yuanjiajie. Photo by Tang Bin (Photographer)

04 Atushi Natural Bridge (Tianmen)

Gravel is widely distributed in the front area of ​​Kunlun Mountain. This kind of rock is often formed into peaks, columns and forests with strange shapes due to gravity collapse and seasonal water erosion. Atushi Tianmen (Natural Bridge) is the most classic landscape among them.

The Natural Bridge is located in Atushi, Xinjiang, and developed in a seasonal river valley. In the gully, there are cliffs and steep cliffs. There are dense alleys and valleys on both sides, and the twists and turns are like entering a maze. At the end of the valley, a natural bridge stretches across the sky, and the hole in the middle is like a gate to heaven. Passing through the hole seems to be the boundary of the earth.

Locals call it Atushi Tianmen, also known as Shipton Arch. It is said that this scene was first discovered by British explorer Eric Shipton in 1947. According to Eric Shipton's record, the natural bridge is 457 meters high and 55 meters wide. It was once said to be the tallest stone arch on earth. But obviously, Eric Shipton was wrong. In fact, Atushi Tianmen is not as high as he described.

▲Atushi Tianmen. Photo by Xi'an David Photography (TuChong Creative)

4. Yandangshan Volcanic Rock Natural Bridge

Located in Yandang Mountain in the southeast of Zhejiang. The bridge is 37 meters long, 8 meters wide on average, and 20-25 meters deep, spanning the mountains like a rainbow. The natural bridge is made of rhyolite, a type of rock formed by volcanic eruptions and rapid cooling of magma in the air.

Volcanic rocks are very common in the southeastern coastal areas of my country. Yandang Mountain has fully recorded the complete geological evolution history of volcanic eruptions, collapses, resurrection and uplifts 128 million to 108 million years ago, forming breathtaking volcanic rock landforms, Tianshengqiao being one of them.

▲The natural bridge formed by volcanic rocks in Yandang Mountain. Image/Source: Internet