The
17-Arch Bridge, the biggest bridge in the Summer Palace, is 150 metres long, 8 metres
wide, connecting the Octagonal Tower in the East and the South Lake Isle in the south.
It was built after
the design of Marco Polo Bridge, which is 15 km to the southwest of Beijing. With white
marble balustrades carved with 544 lions in different postures, this bridge looks like a
rainbow linking the human world with the Penglai Fairyland.
The 17-Arch Bridge
was built during the Qianlong Reign (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty. From eitheuside to
the central arch, you get nine arches, and nine is the supreme number for the empress.
The Main building
in the Penglai Fairyland (now known as the South Isle) is the Temple of Dragon King, built
in the 18th century. The South Isle is the biggest in the Kunming Lake. |