Five li, that is the old name for it, because the Anping Bridge was reckoned to be five li long, a little over two kilometres, which made it the longest bridge in China for centuries and the longest beam bridge of its kind anywhere in the medieval world. It crosses what used to be a tidal inlet at Anhai, in Jinjiang county south of Quanzhou, and it was begun in the twelfth century under the Southern Song, when this coast was making its money from trade with Arabia, India and Southeast Asia. Local merchants and monks put up much of the cost, and the work went on for the better part of two decades.
Much of the bridge survives as built, long granite slabs, some weighing many tonnes, resting on stone piers with pointed ends. Along the walkway there are pavilions, stone guardian figures in the form of soldiers, and a small pagoda. At low tide you look down on mudflats and fish traps, and on a clear day the whole thing looks like a thin grey ribbon pulled across the bay. The silting of the inlet over the centuries has left the bridge standing partly over fields and houses, so you come off one end into a village rather than a river.
As for the ride, the approach is flat and ordinary, a Fujian coastal plain of small factories, fish ponds, temples with swooping roofs, and a constant dribble of scooters and trucks. Roads are wide in places and narrow in others, and junctions come without much warning. It is not for racing. Early on a spring or autumn morning the light is soft and the heat has not yet built, and you may have the bridge nearly to yourself, apart from the old men who walk it as exercise.
The closest settlement on the list is Neikeng, a small place, so for fuel and a proper meal plan on Jinjiang, about eighteen kilometres away, which is a big manufacturing city with everything you need. Quanzhou is just beyond, and its old quarter is worth a half day for the temples, mosques and street food. The local specialities include seafood noodles, peanut soup and sweet fried dough, so eat before you ride. Check licence and permit rules for foreign riders in China ahead of time, and keep to the walkway rather than climbing on the railings.