Bridging past and future

Engineering masterpiece

The mountainous borderlands of Fujian and Zhejiang are home to more than 800 covered bridges, one of the world's largest concentrations. More than 100 historic examples, including Beijian Bridge, embody "the traditional design and practices of Chinese wooden arch bridge building".

The craft was inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009 after urbanization, timber shortages and a dwindling number of master builders threatened its survival. Renewed efforts by governments and local communities led to its transfer to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024.

Experts trace the origins of Chinese wooden arch bridges to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), as depicted in the famous 12th-century scroll Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

According to Su Xudong, a veteran scholar from Pingnan who helped prepare the UNESCO nomination, the defining feature of the craft is the beam-weaving technique. Using sunmao (mortise-and-tenon) joints, craftsmen interlock timber beams into a sturdy arch resembling an upside-down basket.

"The beam-woven arch achieves the largest span of any all-timber structure in the world to date," Su says. "Its wide span reduces the number of piers, allowing floodwaters and boats to pass more easily while also lowering construction costs."

In 2012, the Fujian-Zhejiang Wooden Arch Covered Bridges, nominated by seven counties across the two provinces, were added to China's tentative list seeking World Cultural Heritage status. They were included again in the updated 2025 list. This sustained presence signals that the bridges may be moving closer to meeting World Heritage criteria, experts note.