The 17-Arch Bridge

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.