PRINCE Charles had a close encounter with a lion... as he opened the new Chinese Bridge at Dumfries House.

His Royal Highness enjoyed a traditional celebration of Chinese culture and arts, including a Chinese Lion Dance - believed to bring good luck.

The dance was performed by Edinburgh-based Yee’s Hung Ga for The Duke of Rothesay and more than 100 schoolchildren from Grange Academy and Catrine Primary School.

The bridge, which has been under construction since June, was funded by Carol Grigor through the Dunard Fund.

Dr Karen Alexander, acting head of education at Dumfries House, said: “We were keen to extend the festivities and to give local school children the opportunity to take part in some Chinese cultural and arts workshops.

"Grange Academy staff and pupils provided fantastic support in helping us plan and deliver workshops on the day to Catrine Primary pupils and also their own S1 pupils who attended.

"It was wonderful to have senior pupils from the academy, studying Mandarin language themselves, helping with the classes and providing inspiration for the younger pupils.”

At the event, The Duke of Rothesay paid tribute to those who supported the construction of the bridge.

The source design for the bridge was taken from an original drawing submitted by Scottish architect Robert Weir Schultz in 1899.

Architect Keith Ross worked closely with The Duke of Rothesay to re-engineer the original bridge design and ensure the structure meets modern design standards.

Contemporary materials have been used to underpin the structure of the bridge while the finish has been constructed using traditional materials, such as stone in the bases and timber to form panelling.

As part of the celebrations, schoolchildren from East Ayrshire were given the opportunity to engage with Chinese arts, culture, and language by taking part in a series of taster workshops with the Dumfries House education team, with focus on tai chi, chopstick etiquette, the Mandarin language, and mask-painting.

Pupils from Grange Academy were on hand to pass on their knowledge China and Mandarin to local primary school children.

The Kilmarnock secondary school hosts one of 11 Confucius Classroom Hubs across Scotland, providing resources for use in the school, its feeder primaries and the wider local community.

The Chinese Bridge is open to the public and will offer visitors to the 2000-acre estate, which now serves as an educational hub and tourist attraction, an alternative way to cross the Lugar Water to the 18th Century Adam Bridge, which was recently restored.

Gordon J Neil, Development and Facilities Manager at Dumfries House, said: “It has been exciting to see a design from 1899 realised on the estate and the bridge is already proving to be very popular.

"The Chinese Bridge was a really interesting project to work on and it has been a big talking point among the local community and visitors to Dumfries House.”