The Gongchen Bridge spans across the Grand Canal. “Gongchen” literally means bowing to the emperor at his arrival. It was initially built in 1631, the 4th year of the reign of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and renovated several times during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This was the palce where Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong disembarked on their inspection tours of Hangzhou.