Fujian**" December 13, 2023 08 edition.
Core Tips. The mountain city of Shouning, the mountains and rivers are deep, how can you explore the style of thousands of worlds? Only open the road in the mountains and build bridges in the water. The sincerity of the Fujian people over the mountains and mountains gave birth to a wonder in the history of human architecture, which is called the wooden arcade bridge.
Zhang Zeduan, a Song man, borrowed a "Qingming Riverside Map" through the ages, and the "Bianshui Hongqiao" in the picture shows the magnificent scenery of Bianjing. "Seven miles outside the East Water Gate, said Hongqiao, its bridge has no pillars, all with giant wood frame, decorated with Dan, like a flying rainbow. "Tokyo Menghualu" shows the amazement of Hongqiao Wobo.
Through the picture scroll, we can vaguely recognize the wisdom of the ancients that "do not cost an inch of nail iron, and are all connected by mortise and tenon joints", but the construction skills of the wooden arcade bridge are even better. "Build a bridge on the river, build a corridor on the bridge, protect the bridge with a corridor, and integrate the bridge and corridor", the corridor house not only lays a barrier for the wooden bridge to shelter from the wind and rain, but also balances the upward thrust of the main arch skeleton, so that it stands proudly at the deep rapids.
Beginning with the opening of mountains and rivers, the significance of the covered bridge has long gone beyond the convenience of commuting. Set mountain, water, house, bridge in one, pavilion, platform, building, pavilion in one, the bridge style in the poetic and picturesque; The sheng chime is homophonic, worships the gods and prays for blessings, and the dream of the covered bridge is immersed in the fireworks in the world.
As the famous bridge expert Tang Huancheng said that "the hometown of the world's wooden arcade bridges", there are 19 existing ancient corridor bridges in Shouning, which are rare in the world in terms of their number, neat construction chronological sequence, concentrated distribution of bridge groups, and rich cultural materials. Not to mention the Luanfeng Bridge in Xiadang Township, which has the longest single-arch span in the country, and the Wengkeng Bridge in Xixi Township, which has the shortest wooden arch, are located here.
The stars have changed, the former moat has become a thoroughfare of the present, and the practical function of the covered bridge has gradually faded. Will it be annihilated or will it be renewed? Generations of Shouning craftsmen resolutely chose to carry the banner of non-genetic inheritance, and vertically ink the mountains and rivers of Fujian and Zhejiang. When the local complex calls softly, when the system construction is becoming more and more perfect, when the awareness of cultural relics protection has become a trend, this long relay across the years and rivers will finally keep the clouds open and see the moon.
Integrate the landscape and chase the dream of fireworks in the world.
In Shouning Chengguan, the Toad Creek from the northwest to the southeast passes through the city, and on the stream less than 3 kilometers long before and after, there are 4 covered bridges of Feiyun Bridge, Shengping Bridge, Xiangong Bridge and Dengyun Bridge. This is a rare group of wooden arch bridges in China, which was listed as a national cultural relics protection unit in 2006.
Walking along the lower reaches of Toad Creek, you can see Dengyun Bridge. The bridge was built in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, also known as Yangmei Bridge, with a total length of 338 meters, 4 meters wide2 meters, arch span 308 meters, spanning the north and south banks. "The first bridge was built, and the village was built, so the village where it is located was named Yangmeiqiao Village. In 2009, due to the expansion of the eastern district of Shouning County, it was moved to the current site. Zhou Hong, a staff member of the Shouning County Culture and Tourism Bureau, said.
Going deep into the corridor house, it can be seen that it is a four-column and nine-purlin bucket structure, with 17 bays and 72 columns, covered with a double-slope roof, and the abutments at both ends are built with stone masonry. There are wooden benches and benches next to the pillars under the eaves, and I don't know how many travelers have sat and slept on their sides here in ancient and modern times.
Shouning Mountain is high and cold, and the temperature difference between day and night is large, so the windows on both sides of the corridor house are cut for ventilation and lighting. The window flowers are either like vases or like fans, but none of them are the same. Looking out through the window flowers, you can see the vast mountains and rivers, and the ancient bridge and this natural scenery can be described as beautiful.
Say goodbye to the suburbs of the city and gradually enter the downtown area, but see the fairy palace bridge with red makeup and green makeup. The book on the wind and rain board is "Kite Flying Fish Leaping", which contrasts with the plaque of "Jade Belt Long Ring". In the middle of the corridor house, the octagonal caisson is supported by the bucket arch, the octagonal spire is raised, there is an ink book inscribed under the beam, the name of the bridge-building craftsman, the first person, the donor, etc., and the descendants add Dai Boring, Feng Menglong and other elegant poems when repairing, presenting a group of carved beams and paintings, and the scenery is full of literary meaning.
The name of the fairy palace bridge comes from Ma Xian, one of the "three goddesses of Fujian". Ma Xian is a model of hard work, thrift and thrift, harmony with neighbors, and good deeds and helping others in China's agrarian society. In the existing ancient corridor bridge in Shouning, almost all of them have shrines, and the perennial incense is continuous, worshipping the gods such as Mrs. Linshui, Ma Xian, and Guanyin.
During the lunch break, on the benches on both sides of the gallery, three or five old people sat in groups, gossiping. Zhou Hong said that in the early years, there were card tables, kiosks, snacks and tea, and there was an endless stream of tourists. Later, due to fire protection considerations, the management of activities such as setting up stalls and shops, burning incense and worshipping ancestors became stricter, but the covered bridge is still a good place for surrounding residents to shelter from the sun and avoid the cold, and gather friends and friends.
For Lu Caiyu, a teacher at Shouning County Teacher Training School, the bridge is not in the clouds, but in the heart. When she was a child, Shengping Bridge was the only way for her to get to and from the school. On rainy days, the girl always stood under the eaves, waiting for her mother to come with an umbrella. In the 90s of the last century, when the county repaired the ancient bridge, Lu Caiyu's father successively carved inscriptions for the Xiangong Bridge and repaired murals for the Dengyun Bridge. This time, she still stood under the eaves, waiting for her father, who was over eighty years old, to finish his homework.
The covered bridge is a memory of my hometown that will accompany me for the rest of my life. Lu Caiyu said.
Uphold ingenuity and pick up dreams of homeland.
For a village and town, the covered bridge is the lifeblood of transportation, the totem of faith, the spiritual sustenance, and the hundred-year plan. The soul of the bridge is given to a skilled craftsman, among whom the leader is named "main ink" or "rope ink", which is highly respected.
In Shouning, the most prestigious bridgesmith is none other than the "Xu Zheng family" in Kengdi Township. The earliest bridge-building deeds of this family can be traced back to the sixth year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (1801), Xu Zhaoyu and others jointly built the Xiaodong Bridge. At that time, the bridge-building skills were only passed down within the family, so it was passed down for five generations, because the craftsman Xu Zechang had no children, so it was passed on to his cousin Zheng Huifu; Later, it was successively passed to Zheng Duojin, the son of Zheng Huifu, Zheng Duoxiong, the brother of Zheng Duojin, and Zheng Huiming, the son of Zheng Duoxiong. As of Zheng Huiming's generation, it can be regarded as nine generations of inheritance.
In the middle of the last century, the names of Zheng Huifu and Zheng Duojin resounded throughout Fujian and Zhejiang, and the father and son worked together to build 11 covered bridges. In 1967, Zheng Duojin, who was 39 years old at the time, played the role of "Main Mo" for the first time, presiding over the construction of Yangxitou Bridge in Xiadang Township.
In January 2019, Zheng Duoxiong (left) and Zheng Huiming (right) father and son at the ceremony of raising the beam of Wuxi Covered Bridge in Xixi Town. Photo by Wu Sumei In the following 30 years, with the vigorous development of modern transportation, the wooden bridge gradually faded out of the historical stage. The turning point came in 2001, when the CCTV column team went to Shouning to shoot the feature film "Tracing Hongqiao", and Zheng Duojin only took 6 days to build a prototype of a covered bridge, thus entering the public eye.
In 2006, due to the construction of Niutoushan Hydropower Station, the two ancient bridges of Changsexi Bridge and Zhangkeng Bridge needed to be relocated, and Zheng Duojin re-went out of the mountain to preside over the project. During this period, Zheng Duoxiong joined the team; Then, Zheng Huiming started his career as a bridge craftsman, and the history of the bridge artist family was continued. In 2020, the Shuanglong Bridge in Xietan Town, which poured into the efforts of the three generations of the Zheng family to build bridges, was officially rounded, and its span, width and height are the largest among the existing covered bridges in the province.
In the same year that the Shuanglong Bridge was completed, the Feihe Bridge in Yangwei Village, Tuoxi Township was also successfully completed. Feihe Bridge takes the meaning of "Mu Crane in the Stream", with both ancient charm and new style, from the point of view of carving, clay sculpture and lacquer characteristics, integrating the essence of Shouning local and Zhejiang Taishun skills, and adding lighting lines to the whole bridge. Boarding the bridge at night is uniquely elegant.
Feihe Bridge, Tuoxi Township Photo by You Fangming "Finally fulfilled the dream of a covered bridge for more than 100 years and generations of Yangwei people! The words on the preface of the bridge express the joy of the local villagers regaining the dream of the covered bridge. Who knows what kind of homeland feelings are hidden behind this bridge.
On August 11, 2006, Wu Wenqi, secretary of the Yangwei Village Party Branch, could not erase this day from his memory. That night, the "Sangmei" typhoon swept Yangwei, and the whole village became a Zeguo, not to mention the ancient bridge of the Song Dynasty standing at the head of the village.
With the care and support of the party and the people, the people of Yangwei, who are not afraid of natural disasters, have built a new garden in the ruins. In recent years, the appearance of the village has changed with each passing day, and the people's lives have become richer and richer, and everyone is eager to find the bridge in their hearts.
As soon as the proposal to build a bridge was put forward, it was met with enthusiasm. The project cost more than 200 yuan, all of which were donated by the villagers. The elderly volunteered to guard the construction site, and the young and middle-aged volunteered to carry the beams and tiles, and did their part. Wu Wenqi said.
Donating money to repair the bridge is a custom that Shouning has followed since ancient times, and it is regarded as a good deed of praying for blessings and accumulating virtue to repay kindness. Among the existing ancient corridor bridges, only the Red Army Bridge is a "public bridge" built by ** appropriation, and the rest are built by private fundraising.
Skillful hands, dream building.
Looking closely at the preface of the Feihe Bridge, the name of Wu Zongshan, the "main ink", is placed in a prominent position. On the day of his visit to Shouning, the reporter had the honor to witness the bridge-making process of this old craftsman. More than ten years ago, Wu Zongshan learned art with Zheng Duoxiong's team, because he was a carpenter, he got started very quickly, and is currently building a new bridge for the bottom of the pit in his hometown.
Wu Zongshan at the construction site of the Feihe Bridge. Photo by Wu Sumei.
The 150 giant trees lying horizontally at the preparation site already show the grandeur of Hongqiao. All kinds of wood are more than 100 years old, and they are marked with three seedlings, five seedlings, flat seedlings, scissors seedlings and so on. The most striking thing is the long log in the middle covered with red silk and suspended from a high place, which is called a beam, which will later run through the roof of the corridor.
The selection of beams is strict, and it is not enough to take into account the speed of building a bridge in front of you. It is necessary to find a piece of wood that grows in the sun, away from snakes, insects, rats and ants, and cut down the leafy trees from them, leaving seedlings to leave a foundation for future generations. Wu Zongshan said.
In addition to the selection of materials, the location of the bridge site is also exquisite. The pit bottom covered bridge will stand downstream of the stream, and there are solid rocks on both sides of the bridge site, laying the foundation for the masonry abutment, which not only conveys the folk beliefs and customs of driving away floods and blessings for financial resources, but also connects primary schools and township health centers, and restarts the historical function of the covered bridge to access traffic.
Photo by Gong Jian of Luanfeng Bridge in Xiadang Township Looking down from the bridge abutment, it is 30 meters high. Nowadays, there are scaffolding and cranes for craftsmen to go up and down with wood, but I don't know how to achieve "high-altitude work" in ancient times? Lu Caiyu said that in long-term practice, the ancients invented equipment such as water rack columns. The water frame column is shaped like a swing standing on the water surface, and the specific method is to erect a long column on both sides of the abutment, and the tail end of the long column is tightly fixed with another cedar wood through hemp rope, and the top end is connected with a beam timber. "The craftsmen are working on such a wooden platform, and the mere spectators are terrifying. ”
The beauty of the mechanics of the covered bridge is reflected in its arch structure. Wu Zongshan took the drawing board and traced the whole process of the arch and landing frame of the covered bridge.
The arch of the covered bridge is divided into two layers of system, and the lower layer is penetrated into a figure-eight arch with 3 long wooden mortise and tenon joints, commonly known as "three seedlings"; The upper layer is made of 5 short logs to form a five-fold edged arch, commonly known as "five-section seedlings"; The arch is placed at the turning point of the horizontal wood, commonly known as the "bull head", and the end of the arch wood is interlocked with the "bull head", so that the two layers of the system bite each other, and the force is common to form a whole. The two ends of the arch are each erected a vertical wooden row frame, and two cross logs are added between the two layers of diagonal bracing arch and the vertical wooden row frame, commonly known as "scissors seedlings", so as to avoid the bridge arch from moving sideways due to external force.
The arch is the soul of the covered bridge, especially the diameter and length of the three seedlings must be completely consistent, without the slightest deviation, and we four or five people can't deal with a few in a day. In comparison, the subsequent columns, bridges, houses, and tiles are not worth mentioning. While talking and laughing, Wu Zongshan and the assistant next to him worked together to lift and flip an arch wood, and there was no sign that he was over the age of old.
In the busy crowd, most of them are old people with white sideburns. Therefore, the 36-year-old Wu Xiangfa is particularly eye-catching.
Wu Xiangfa said that he was born in a family of carpenters, and it is a tradition in the village to build wooden bridges. In recent years, after returning to his hometown, he found that his father was affected by the surrounding trends and regained his old business, which led to the idea of changing his career when he was originally engaged in construction work such as glass curtain walls.
Two years ago, Wu Xiangfa joined Wu Zongshan's team to learn art. Cutting wood, carrying wood, marking ink lines...The trivial and heavy physical work made Wu Xiangfa retreat. But after thinking about it, the master is still fighting on the front line as an elder, how can he give up easily?
No matter how cold or hot it is, the master always does it himself and works in the open air, for that feeling. Our younger generations should work hard to persevere and do their part to inherit the traditional skills. Wu Xiangfa's tone was firm.
Guarding the bridge and guarding the art, the road ahead is bright.
If there is no love, how can the history of the covered bridge continue for thousands of years? But with love alone, cultural treasures are bound to be "hidden in the depths of the boudoir and no one knows". The protection of the bridge and the art of guarding have become the two main lines to explore the value of the covered bridge.
Shouning has always had a tradition of protecting bridges, and many ancient covered bridges have left historical records of "repeated destruction and construction". Since the reform and opening up, whenever the urban area is renovated and the reservoir is constructed, the local government often strives to preserve the old appearance of the covered bridge through relocation and other means. In recent years, Gong Dila and Gong Jian, the two directors of the Shouning County Museum, have continued to run on the road of recording the demeanor of the covered bridge and calling for strengthened protection; Lu Caiyu and others are also actively promoting the culture of covered bridges into the campus and community.
As the bridge culture goes out of the mountains, its road to rejuvenation has been paid more attention. In 2008, the traditional construction skills of wooden arcade bridges were included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists; A year later, the "Traditional Construction Techniques of Chinese Wooden Arch Bridges" was included in UNESCO's "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding"; In 2012, the "Fujian and Zhejiang Wooden Arcade Bridge" was included in the "Tentative List of China's World Cultural Heritage".
In May this year, the Fujian-Zhejiang Wooden Arcade Bridge Joint World Heritage Application (Shouning) Promotion Meeting held in Xiadang Township, Shouning clarified the objectives and progress of the World Heritage application, organizational structure, professional team, World Heritage application mechanism, support measures and other matters. At present, the activities of the protection of the ontology of the covered bridge, environmental remediation, publicity and promotion, as well as the application work, are progressing in an orderly manner, and the application for World Heritage and the protection of the covered bridge have become complementary to each other.
Since the beginning of this year, a series of important progress has been made in the construction of the institutional level. In May, the Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage jointly issued the Three-Year Action Plan for the Protection of Covered Bridges (2023-2025) (hereinafter referred to as the "Three-Year Action Plan") to explore and systematically strengthen the research and utilization of covered bridge protection.
In October, at the kick-off meeting of the "Three-Year Action Plan" held by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, experts from all walks of life put forward their insights on the protection of the covered bridge.
On November 23, the seventh meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th Fujian Provincial People's Congress unanimously voted to approve the "Regulations on the Protection and Management of Wooden Arcade Bridges in Ningde City" submitted for approval by the Standing Committee of the Ningde Municipal People's Congress. The "Regulations" adhere to the "small incision" legislation, the full text does not have a chapter a total of 27 articles, in the overall protection of the bridge, directory management, security requirements, inspection and maintenance, intangible cultural heritage, rational use and related legal responsibilities and other aspects of specific provisions. The Regulations will come into force on 1 January 2024.
On November 24, the 2nd Fujian and Zhejiang Region Corridor Bridge Cultural Heritage Protection Judicial Cooperation Conference hosted by the Fujian Provincial High Court and the Nanping Intermediate People's Court was held in Zhenghe County. At the meeting, the "Ten Measures of the Fujian and Zhejiang Courts on the Judicial Assistance of the Wooden Arcade Bridge for the World Heritage Application" and the "Fujian and Zhejiang Court Corridor Bridge Judicial Protection (Political Peace) Declaration" were adopted. The meeting pointed out that the courts of Fujian and Zhejiang should uphold the modern active judicial concepts such as systematic protection, prevention first, coordinated punishment, and green development, and take the maintenance of the historical authenticity, integrity and cultural continuity of the wooden arcade bridge as the basic principle, and build a judicial resource sharing, mutual assistance platform co-construction, risk and hidden danger co-governance, outstanding problems co-governance, coordination mechanism co-establishment, and work measures to discuss the judicial protection of the cultural heritage of the covered bridge, so as to build a solid safety bottom line and line of defense.
Carrying the joint efforts of all parties, fortunately escorted by the rule of law. The covered bridge lies quietly in the years of the mountain city, smiling at the prosperity of the present and smiling at the bright road ahead.
Reporter's Notes. Continue to write the context of the ancient bridge.
As a "living fossil" in the history of bridges in China, the covered bridge is a rare treasure standing between the peaks of the winding water, and an important carrier for insight into the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
The covered bridge is beautiful. Its beauty lies in the wisdom of the ancients embodied in the "woven wood structure", the beauty in the splendid wooden clothes of Feige Liudan, the beauty in the close integration with the natural scenery, and the beauty in the platform value of condensing social conditions and public opinion.
Covered bridges are fragile at the same time. The invasion of natural disasters and the destruction of human factors can cause fatal injuries to them. At the same time, the inheritance of the construction skills of the covered bridge was also faced with the dilemma of having no successor. After all, not everyone has the spirit of being lonely and meticulously crafting, and building bridges is not a job that can bring rich material rewards. To some extent, guarding art is more significant than protecting bridges, and the task is more arduous.
In recent years, the first departments at all levels have attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of covered bridges, and have issued a series of rules and regulations to escort them. We are also pleased to see that the humanistic and artistic value of the covered bridge is widely known, the awareness of cultural relics protection has gradually entered the hearts of the people, and young people have also emerged in the bridge-building team.
Of course, the protection of the covered bridge is only in progress, not when it is completed. The complete value of the bridge should be conveyed through the systematic protection of the bridge itself, the surrounding environment, and related cultural and historical sites. Give the inheritors of the traditional construction skills of wooden arch bridges the necessary material and spiritual incentives, and support them to accept apprentices and carry out bridge building practices; further strengthen propaganda and advocacy, popularize the concept and knowledge of cultural relics protection, and encourage various social forces to participate in the protection of covered bridges; Strengthen scientific management, establish a normalized mechanism and emergency plan for the protection of covered bridges; Fully excavate the cultural resources of the covered bridge, promote the integrated development of culture, tourism, culture and creativity of the covered bridge, and make it "activated" in the inheritance.