Three years of system protection for 43 corridor bridges, showcasing the beauty of 'Wan'

What kind of bridge is Langqiao? It has many alternative names: house bridge, house bridge, wind and rain bridge, flower bridge. This type of bridge building, which sets up gallery houses on the bridge, contains rich architectural value, artistic value, and cultural heritage value, carrying a long humanistic history and distinctive culture. There are currently 43 covered bridges in Anhui Province, including 5 national key cultural relics protection units and 19 provincial, municipal, and county-level cultural relics protection units. The period spans from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, mainly concentrated in Huangshan, Xuancheng, Chizhou, Anqing, and other places.

Establish a panoramic 'database' and conduct a comprehensive survey

In order to systematically strengthen the research and utilization of corridor bridge protection in our province and implement the requirements of the "Notice of the Central Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Cultural Relics Bureau on Carrying out the Three Year Action Plan for Corridor Bridge Protection", a special team for corridor bridge protection will be established in our province from 2023 to 2025, in conjunction with the Fourth National Cultural Relics Census, to verify the status of corridor bridge cultural relics resources in the province. The cultural relics protection worker system collected images and panoramic data of 43 covered bridges in the province, and completed high-precision digital records of national and provincial protected covered bridges through methods such as 3D information collection, unmanned aerial vehicle oblique photography, ground air panoramic image acquisition, current status mapping production, and 3D modeling. A database of covered bridge resources in Anhui Province was established. At the same time, the "Anhui Covered Bridges" and "Huizhou Hundred Bridges" compiled and published in our province systematically present the structural characteristics, construction techniques, and survival status of covered bridges. It is reported that this year, in conjunction with the final work of the Fourth National Cultural Relics Census, our province will complete the recognition and announcement of newly discovered bridges, improve the Anhui Province Bridge Resource Database, and ensure a clear resource base and complete information.

Incorporate into the national territorial space 'one map', protect and upgrade

With the improvement of this "big data" of the corridor bridge, the protection level, protection form, and protection scope of the corridor bridge are gradually deepening. The Wanli Tea Ceremony is a "reserve project" for China's application for World Heritage, and the Taoyuan Corridor Bridge in Qimen County has been included in the "Wanli Tea Ceremony" World Cultural Heritage application site. In January of this year, the provincial government announced the ninth batch of provincial protection list, and Shexi Corridor Bridge and Qimen Huiyuan Corridor Bridge in Yixian County were selected. At the same time, Xiuning Gongbei Corridor Bridge and others will actively apply for the ninth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In the past three years, our province has strived for nearly 10 million yuan in national and provincial special funds for cultural relics protection, and completed the repair work of 7 covered bridges including the National Protection Huanxiu Bridge. The repair projects of 2 covered bridges including the North Shore Covered Bridge in Shexian County have been approved by the National Cultural Relics Administration. The overall protection of the corridor bridge and its surrounding environment is also a new issue. The completion of vectorization work for cultural relics protection units at or above the provincial level means that the bridges will be included in the "one map" management of national spatial planning, and various regions will implement requirements for cultural relics spatial control. The corridor bridge is a condensed crystallization of traditional architectural wisdom. However, the corridor bridge itself also faces survival risks and challenges brought by natural disasters such as extreme weather. It is reported that our province strictly implements the "Anhui Province Cultural Relics Safety Inspection Measures", promotes the construction of the "three defenses" project for bridges, and significantly improves the coverage of safety protection facilities for cultural heritage protection units at or above the provincial level.

The heritage of Langqiao forms a "cultural corridor" and enriches life with colors

Langqiao is not only a historical transportation relic, but also a vibrant site for the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage; The corridor bridge is not only a bridge, but also a cultural corridor connecting ancient and modern times, connecting historical context with contemporary life. Relying on the protection system of intangible cultural heritage such as Huizhou architectural techniques, more attention has been paid to the construction of bridges and related traditional customs. Local traditional craftsmen participate in the repair project of the corridor bridge, and representative inheritors of the construction skills participate in the practice of protection and repair projects. The exchange of corridor bridge repair skills and talent cultivation are synchronously improved. Xucun, Xiuning Youlong and other places in Shexian County rely on the corridor bridge to carry out folk activities such as big knife lanterns, bench dragons, and eating banquets, and create a rural activity center with the corridor bridge and its surrounding buildings as the core landscape. Xiuning County has held the Chrysanthemum Festival by the Gongbei Corridor Bridge for four consecutive years, making the protection of the corridor bridge a new highlight in promoting rural revitalization. At the "Cultural and Natural Heritage Day" in Anhui Province in 2024 and 2025, the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau released the "Smoke and Rain Rainbow" Anhui Ancient Corridor Bridge Cultural Relics Theme Tour, "Xitou Corridor Bridge" and other "Four Pu" Ten New Discoveries, continuously expanding the popularity of corridor bridge culture, promoting the integration of corridor bridge protection and intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and the development of cultural tourism industry. It is reported that, while ensuring the safety of cultural relics, our province will continue to explore the path of deep integration between covered bridges and traditional villages and rural tourism, summarize and promote the successful experience of "covered bridges+", and let the precious heritage of covered bridges shine with new brilliance in the new era.