Bridging past and future

Rising from the ashes

Yet, these treasured bridges remain vulnerable to disasters, particularly floods and fires.

In September 2016, Typhoon Meranti triggered flash floods that swept away three nationally protected Taishun bridges — Xuezhai, Wenxing and Wenzhong — in just two hours.

"It was a devastating day for the people of Taishun. Many broke down in tears," recalls Zeng Jiakuai, a national-level inheritor of the traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges.

"But even before the floodwaters receded, local residents spontaneously joined the rescue effort, salvaging more than 90 percent of the wooden components and drying them in their own courtyards, making the restoration possible," he says.

Zeng led the restoration of Wenxing Bridge. Working alongside cultural relics departments and experts, his team followed the principle of "using original components, original materials and traditional craftsmanship whenever possible". With government and community support, all three bridges were rebuilt the following year, preserving their historic character and structural integrity.

In 2021, the restoration of Taishun's wooden arch bridges became the only Chinese case included in the ICOMOS-ICCROM publication, Analysis of Case Studies in Recovery and Reconstruction.

A year later, tragedy struck again. In August 2022, Wan'an Bridge in Pingnan — China's longest surviving wooden arch-covered bridge at 98.2 meters with six arches — was destroyed by fire. Originally built in the 11th century, it had survived repeated restorations following earlier fires and floods.

The disaster prompted urgent state action, leading to the launch of the Three-Year Action Plan.

Huang Minhui, a municipal-level inheritor of traditional wooden arch bridge-building techniques in Ningde, led the Wan'an restoration as his family has a long-standing history of rebuilding and repairing the bridge.

Like the Taishun project, the team adhered to the principles of minimal intervention and "restoring the old as old". Over 200 surviving wooden components were salvaged, polished, treated with preservatives, and reused. When the bridge reopened in August 2024, visitors could see fire-scarred original pieces integrated with new ones — a deliberate reminder of the bridge's history.