Nánchéng

Nancheng was the seat of Jianchang Prefecture in eastern Jiangxi, on the Xu River. Its streets, official buildings and temples formed the centre of a district extending toward the mountains of Fujian. The river could be crossed by floating bridge, but floods made that passage uncertain.

In 1634 a period of heavy rain raised the river, and an overloaded boat crossing it sank with the loss of thirty-three lives. Local people began building a stone bridge the following year. Work continued through the fall of the Ming and was completed in 1647 under the Qing. Known as Wannian Bridge, its twenty-three arches spanned the Xu in red stone, replacing the vulnerable crossing with a lasting work of masonry.