Huge Stonehenge in the Yangtze River Goes Viral in Chongqing

This summer, Chongqing was hit by the most severe drought in decades. After the heatwave, residents find new surprises and fun.

Recently, a "Stonehenge" at the yacht harbor on Nanbin Road has gone viral on the social network of Chongqing people. Many stones were stacked densely and neatly by the Yangtze River. The riverside stones are the same as pointed cones, while those in the water are square. From a distance, the scene looks like a stretch of blocks in the classic retro video game Tetris.

These stones, artificially made of cement, river sand, and other materials, work to dissipate the waves in the Yangtze River.

A wave-dissipating embankment is an underwater structure built to block the impact of waves, enclose a harbor basin, and maintain a stable water surface to protect the harbor from bad weather so that ships can berth and operate safely. Previously, those popular wave-dissipating pillars and blocks were hidden in the deep water. A few of them might show up occasionally. The drought resulted in the sensational exposure of so many stones, attracting many residents and tourists.

In addition, two bridges appeared: One is a "landing stage" leading to the middle of the river, and the other is a natural stone bridge on a reef of the river beach. The "landing stage" is a simple dam at the bottom of the river before the drought.

The structure looks like a natural stone bridge as water flows through a large cave on a vast reef.

The river might scour out the natural bridge over the years. The sudden appearance of the usually invisible bridge surprised us.