Xi'an unearths five ancient bridges

Chinese archaeologists have found five large ancient bridges in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province after 10 months of excavation.

The archaeological excavations started in February and lasted till the end of 2014 on the ruins of Weiqiao, a group of bridges built during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).According to Liu Rui, excavation team head and research associate with the institute of archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Weiqiao was an important transport hub that linked the dynasty capital of Chang'an (now Xi'an city) with its outside regions.

The excavations were jointly carried by the archaeologists from the institute of archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shaanxi provincial institute of archaeology and Xi'an institute of cultural relics and archaeology.

Wang Zhiyou, research associate with Shaanxi provincial institute of archaeology, said according to the unearthed wooden bridge piles, experts speculate that the bridges would be more than 880 meters in length and more than 15.4 meters in width.

"The discovery of the bridges is of great value for the protection of the ruins of ancient Chang'an city and the study of the transportation history of the Qin (221 BC-207 BC)," Liu said.

Excavations on the ruins are ongoing.