Wulong Three Natural Bridges
Three colossal karst bridges span a 280-meter sinkhole in Wulong, with a Tang-dynasty post-station tucked beneath.
Written and signed by Ivy ChenWhat it actually is
Wulong Three Natural Bridges is a UNESCO-listed karst site: three limestone arches, Tianlong, Qinglong and Heilong, spanning a 280-meter sinkhole in Chongqing's Wulong, with the Tang-dynasty Tianfu Posthouse tucked beneath the first arch.
Editor's take
Worth a full day from Chongqing for first-time visitors to karst scenery, and especially strong for photographers who want the rainbow-after-rain look at Qinglong Bridge. Combine with Longshuixia Fissure if you have the energy; skip the electric cart only if your knees are fresh. Best in April to October, ideally a weekday morning before 09:00. Not worth a special trip from outside Chongqing if you have already seen Zhangjiajie or Guilin.
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Tianlong Bridge and Tianfu Posthouse
The first of the three arches is Tianlong Bridge, 235 meters high and 147 meters wide, with a working post-station beneath it. Tianfu Posthouse (Tianfu Guan Yi) was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) as a courier stop on the Sichuan-to-Hubei road and is the only surviving Tang-era post-station in this region. It is also the only outdoor filming scene from Curse of the Golden Flower — director Zhang Yimou chose it precisely because the wooden inn under a stone sky looks like it has been there for a thousand years, because it actually has.
Qinglong Bridge — world's tallest natural arch
Qinglong Bridge stands 281 meters tall, the tallest natural bridge in the world. After rain its walls run with a dozen narrow waterfalls and the canyon often catches a low rainbow — local guides call it 'the dragon rising after a storm'. From the central path inside the arch it looks like a Gothic cathedral carved out of grey limestone.
Heilong Bridge and its four springs
Heilong Bridge, the third arch, is the darkest and quietest. Four named springs pour from its walls — Wu Quan (Mist Spring) drifts like smoke, Zhen Zhu Quan (Pearl Spring) drops in a curtain, Yi Xian Quan (Thread Spring) is a single silver wire, and San Die Quan (Triple Spring) layers three falls. Walk the inner ring trail to look back through the four streams toward the sinkhole — the composition writes itself.