Panyu District Government relocated a 400-year-old stone bridge was relocated to the Dafushan Mountain Forest Park in Panyu District, Guangzhou.

According to Chen Denggui, a well-known archaeologist in Guangzhou, the stone bridge in the park was three kilometers away from its original site, which was at the conjunction of the Jiejin Road and Xihuan Road in Shatou Township.

The Panyu District Government set aside 590,000 yuan (US$71,300) to relocate the stone bridge to make way to the district's urban expansion.

Chen said this was the first ancient bridge that had been relocated in the city.

A plaque at the bridge said a wealthy merchant paid for the stone bridge in what now is called Shatou Village, Wang Tianxiang, in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) so his daughter could visit him.

Historical materials showed Wang's daughter married a man in the Cadong Village. A river stopped people moving between the two villages.

Wang donated money to build 18 stone bridges, so his daughter could visit her family. The two bridges have survived until today.

(Shenzhen Daily April 18, 2005)