Reinventing China's olden arches

It is the upwardly curved eaves, gray-tiled roofs and wooden sidings that give the ancient covered bridges in Taishun, a mountainous county nestled in Zhejiang province, their distinctive appearance.

If on a clear day, a traveler stands gazing at one from distance, beneath the blue sky and white clouds, it's easy to imagine that a rainbow spans the stream. It's a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Hailed as "the hometown of China's covered bridges", the small county is home to 32 ancient bridges constructed during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (960-1911). Among them, 15 have been listed as major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level, the most of their kind in the country.