HANGZHOU, Dec. 17 (Xinhua/APP): Amid efforts to preserve the millennium-old traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges, advanced and accessible technology, including AI and VR, is injecting new vitality into the timeless craft.
The wooden arch bridges, found mostly in eastern China’s Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, are built without a single metal nail or rivet, relying instead on intricately fitted wooden structures. This very design, however, leaves the bridges vulnerable to fire and flooding. Over the years, the tradition had declined due to erosion and rapid urbanization.
On Dec. 5, 2024, the design techniques and construction practices of such bridges were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, marking the culmination of China’s efforts to safeguard and revitalize this tradition.
According to the Communist Party of China Central Committee’s recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), cultural heritage protection should be systematically advanced and put under unified supervision and inspection.
Technology has made these bridges accessible to a wider public. As their design is closely integrated with the natural environment, people are increasingly able to experience them beyond geographic limits through 3D models, virtual reality and interactive 3D puzzles.