A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 21, 2010, Section A, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: Jade, Manna From a River, Brings Riches to a Chinese City.

Like everything in Afghanistan, the 150-meter bridge wasn’t easy to build. Other attempts to build crossings were washed away by the rising river.

The river is considered to be one of Afghanistan’s natural lifelines. It’s the country’s longest and runs into Hamoun Lake, which lies on the border between the two neighbors.