Gongchen Bridge [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Gongchen Bridge, built in 1631, is a stone bridge over the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

In 1986, the end point of the Grand Canal and a transport hub in the Hangzhou section of the canal was included in the list of relics under protection of Hangzhou government.

It is the highest and longest stone arch bridge among ancient bridges in Hangzhou at 92 meters long and 16 meters high. In Chinese, "Gong" literally means salute and "Chen" refers to where the emperors lived. Gongchen Bridge served as a symbol of hospitality and respect for emperors.