29°26′02″N 107°48′05″E / 29.433863°N 107.80128°E / 29.433863; 107.80128

The Three Natural Bridges (simplified Chinese: 天生三桥; traditional Chinese: 天生三橋; pinyin: Tiānshēng Sān Qiáo) are a series of natural limestone bridges located in Xiannüshan Town (仙女山镇), Wulong District, Chongqing Municipality, China.^[1] They lie within the Wulong Karst National Geology Park, itself a part of the South China Karst-Wulong Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[2] In Chinese, the bridges are all named after dragons, namely Tianlong (Chinese: 天龙桥; lit. 'Sky Dragon') Qinglong (青龙桥; 'Azure Dragon') and Heilong (黑龙桥; 'Black Dragon').

Description

Three Natural Bridges

Yuzhong

Three Natural Bridges (Chongqing)

Spanning the Yangshui River, a tributary of the Wu River, the bridges are at the centre of a 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) conservation area which also includes:

• Qinglong Tiankeng (青龙天坑);
• Shenying Tiankeng (神鹰天坑);
• Yangshui River Karst Canyon (羊水河喀斯特峡谷);
• Longshui Gorge (龙水峡地缝);
• Central Shiyuan Tiankeng (中石院天坑);
• Lower Shiyuan Tiankeng (下石院天坑);
• Seventy-two Branch Cave (七十二岔洞);
• Longquan Cave (龙泉洞);
• Immortal Cave (仙人洞);
• Hidden Monkey Stream (猴子坨伏流);
• Hidden Baiguo Stream (白果伏流).

Given that the distance between the upper end of the Tianlong Bridge and the lower end of the Heilong Bridge is only 1,500 m (4,900 ft), these are not the longest natural bridges. However, they are the only such group of karst structures in the world.^{[citation needed]} Between the bridges lie the Qinglong and Shenying tiankengs which have a depth of 276–285 metres and a circumference of 300–522 metres.

Dimensions