Chengxi Bridge, a structure more than 1,000 years old located in the Changning community of the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone – in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province – recently passed final inspection after five years of careful restoration.

A photo taken in July 2019 shows the appearance of Chengxi Bridge. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]

The bridge is so named because it is in the western part of Hefei. In October 2019, due to the construction of a water conservation project, local authorities started protective dismantling of the structure. The dismantled stones were numbered and stored in a warehouse for nearly three years.

At the end of October 2022, reconstruction of the ancient bridge started near the original site and contractors restored its original appearance with the original stone bridge surface and stone railings.

The project represents the first relocation and reconstruction of cultural relics in Hefei.

A photo of an old well at the time of the restoration of the bridge. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Around 14,500 stone blocks, each one specifically numbered, were restored one by one according to their order during the painstaking reconstruction process.

Chengxi Bridge was first built during the Three Kingdoms period – the Wei, Shu and Wu – some 1,800 years ago, spanning the Kulu River, connecting the bustling north and south and serving as a gateway for residents to enter and exit Hefei.