Uncovering majestic bridge architecture of Fujian-Zhejiang borderlands

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration recently led a media trip to the mountainous borderlands of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces to explore the achievements of the 2023-2025 National Covered Bridge Preservation Initiative.

In this eastern region, more than 100 iconic wooden covered bridges represent the living tradition of “traditional designs and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges”. The heritage was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024 — 15 years after its initial listing on the Urgent Safeguarding List.

Veteran scholar Su Xudong from Pingnan county, Fujian — who helped draft the UNESCO nomination — talked with China Daily Website about the unique cultural value and ancient engineering wisdom behind this remarkable living heritage.