The bridge was built from pink granite to Cameron's design in 1785 at the same time as the Dragon Bridge. Its parapet is formed by tall, elegant vases and decorative intertwined branches of red coral descending from them.

Apart from the granite vases and the coral, actually forged from iron, the Large Chinese Bridge was decorated with four figures of Chinese persons seated on stone pedestals.

In the 1860s the painted limestone figures became completely dilapidated and were replaced by zinc ones, also brightly painted, that were produced at bronze-founder Adolphe Morand's factory (a.k.a. Henke, Pleske and Morand) in St Petersburg. This work was overseen by the court architect Ippolito Monighetti. The sculptures on this bridge, perished during the Second World War, were restored after their old photographs in June of 2010 for the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoe Selo.