The inheritance of the nailless bridge

河南 關留克

Thanks to decades of perseverance by traditional craftsmen,a 1,000-year-old wooden arch bridge in Ningde City,Fujian Province,has managed to survive,and the skills used to make it have been adapted to modern life.The bridge,which resembles a rainbow in its outline,is a mortise and tenon structure built without using a single nail or rivet.A roof protects the bridge from weathering by the rain.

In 1969,Huang Chuncai mastered the traditional skill—building the bridges,however,there were no opportunities to put it into practice,as modern bridges were taking the place of wooden ones.Instead,he earned his living by making wooden furniture until the National Cultural Heritage Administration researchers came to Ningde in 2003 and tried to revive the craft.

Ningde is an area of ridges and ravines crisscrossed by streams.It is home to more than 50 wooden arcade bridges,some of which have stood for hundreds of years.In 2008,the technique of wooden arch bridge building was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage,and Huang was designated as the skill's national inheritor.

Huang Chuncai has tried to pass on his skill,and he used to teach students at art schools in Ningde.“But many could not endure the difficulties and left,”he said.So far,about six students are training at a workshop set up by Huang Chuncai.“I hope the craft will endure.Our workshop welcomes anyone who wants to learn,”Huang Chuncai said.

Reading Check

What qualities are required for students who learn to build the nailless bridges according to Huang Chuncai?