The largest freshwater lake in China experiences unusual drying, revealing the 400-year-old Qianyan stone bridge completely on the cracked lakebed.
Lake Poyang has dried up, exposing the Qianyan bridge above. (Video: Xinhua)
Qianyan is the longest stone bridge spanning a lake in China. It is located over Lake Poyang in the Duchang County of Jiangxi Province. The structure measures a total of 2,657 meters with nearly 1,000 arches. It has stood for 400 years since the Ming Dynasty and is now an important historical artifact.
The bridge is usually submerged during the rainy season and only emerges when the water level drops below 10.5 meters. Footage shared by Xinhua on August 30 shows it has been completely uncovered due to the unusual drying of Lake Poyang.
Qianyan is the longest stone bridge spanning a lake in China.
Lake Poyang, located in the northwest of Jiangxi Province, is the largest freshwater lake in China. The surface area of the lake fluctuates significantly between the rainy and dry seasons but has shown a gradual decline in recent years. During the rainy season, the lake can cover an area of up to 3,500 km2.
This year, due to a record heatwave lasting over 70 days across the Yangtze River basin, Lake Poyang has shrunk earlier than usual. Reports on August 24 indicated that the lake’s area had reduced to just one-fifth of what it was a few months ago. Sand mining activities have also contributed to the unusually low water levels observed in recent decades.
Not only is Lake Poyang an important freshwater reserve, but it is also a national nature reserve, home to over 300 species of migratory birds. In winter, up to 90% of the Siberian crane population resides here.
