Wooden arch bridges gain global spotlight in Zhejiang

Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2024, shows Lanxi Bridge in Qingyuan County of Lishui, east China's Zhejiang Province. It is the largest single-span wooden arch bridge in China.(China News Service/Fu Feiyang)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The wooden arch bridges, found mostly in eastern China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, are built without a single metal nail or rivet. Instead, they rely solely on intricately fitted wooden structures.

A traditional Chinese-style timber superstructure tops the bridge, featuring a grand roof that adds weight and bolsters the structure's stability.

Photo taken on Dec. 11, 2024, shows paintings inside a wooden arcade bridge in Qingyuan County of Lishui, east China's Zhejiang Province. (China News Service/Fu Feiyang)

A view of Yonggui Bridge, a wooden arch bridge, in Qingyuan County of Lishui, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 11, 2024. (China News Service/Fu Feiyang)

People visit the wooden arch bridge museum in Qingyuan County of Lishui, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 11, 2024. (China News Service/Fu Feiyang)