The flowing water murmurs, and a bridge connects the two banks. Building corridors on the bridge and setting up seats in the corridors can provide shelter from wind and rain, as well as allow people to relax and chat. This is called a corridor bridge. Chinese covered bridges are the condensed crystallization of traditional architectural wisdom. For thousands of years, as a part of the landscape and rural living environment, the corridor bridge has not only been an important public space in rural society, but also carries cultural traditions and lingering nostalgia, connecting historical context with current life. Not long ago, the National Cutural Heritage Administration announced the total number of covered bridges nationwide for the first time, systematically combing the achievements and experience of the three-year action to protect covered bridges. At present, the total number of known cultural relics of covered bridges in China has reached 2193, an increase of over 61% compared to the initial screening of 1355 in 2023. What are the difficulties in protecting and inheriting the corridor bridge? How can various regions promote the protection and utilization of covered bridges? The reporter conducted an interview. Shanxi Jiexiu Huancui Bridge, from a hidden small village to a digital filing "corridor bridge, we also have it in Shanxi! ”In Shitun Village, Hongshan Town, Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province, the Huancui Bridge spans across a ravine. Yang Yaowei, a member of the village party branch, stands by the ancient bridge that has weathered hundreds of years of wind and rain, his tone filled with pride. This covered bridge hidden in a small village is one of the six ancient covered bridges in Shanxi, breaking the traditional belief that only the southern part of the country has covered bridges. The Huancui Bridge runs in an east-west direction, spanning the north-south Honggou. The three hole stone arch supports the wooden corridor house, and the shape of the lower stone and upper wood is seamlessly integrated. On the bridge, the Xieshan attic with triple eaves is covered with yellow and green glazed tiles, and the hanging fish, roof figures and other components are bright in color. Standing on the bridge and looking into the distance, the willows in the ditch are lush green, and the ancient bridge blends harmoniously with the natural scenery. According to the inscription on the pillar at Qiaotou, this bridge was first built in the 19th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1540). In the Qing Dynasty, an attic was added, with a total length of about 20 meters and a width of 6 meters. It is an important example for studying the integrated architecture of northern bridges and corridors. The bricks and tiles of the ancient bridge conceal the memories of generations of villagers. The bridge is so lively! In the summer, everyone comes here to cool off, play chess, and chat about daily life. When they go to the temple fair, there are even more people, "said Yang Zengfu, a 78 year old villager. Villager Cao Jun's house is adjacent to the ancient bridge. A few years ago, he volunteered to become a cultural relic protection officer. It has become a habit to conduct daily fire and theft inspections and clean the bridge deck, "said Cao Jun. Yang Yaowei introduced that two years ago, experts from the province came to conduct surveys and measurements, and some bloggers posted videos online. The attention to Huancui Bridge has been increasing, and many tourists from other places have even come to visit it. Although Shanxi's ancient covered bridges are not the most numerous, they are small and exquisite, each with its own unique characteristics. ”Liang Jun, Director of the Cultural Relics Protection and Utilization Department of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, introduced that during the three-year action plan for the protection of bridges, Shanxi organized professional institutions to conduct comprehensive inspections of bridge defects, structural bearing capacity, etc., establish problem records, formulate protection plans, conduct regular safety inspections, and build a solid defense line for cultural relics safety. At the same time, the staff visited experts, scholars, representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, and local residents, organized oral history and visual materials, and built a Shanxi Langqiao database platform to achieve digital archiving. The platform provides information retrieval and visual interaction functions, which provide solid support for deepening the research, dissemination and utilization of corridor bridge protection, "said Liang Jun. The Wan'an Bridge in Pingnan, Fujian Province, has been under long-term protection since its restoration. It is located in Changqiao Town, Pingnan County, Ningde City, Fujian Province, and is home to the largest, longest, and most numerous existing wooden arch covered bridge in China - Wan'an Bridge. Wan'an Bridge was first built in the Song Dynasty, connecting Changxin Village and Changqiao Village. "In summer, everyone chats with their neighbors and fellow villagers on the bridge," said Bao Zhangzhen, a villager from Changqiao Village. In history, Wan'an Bridge has been affected by floods, fires, and other disasters, and has undergone several reconstructions and repairs. In August 2022, a major fire caused most of the Wan'an Bridge to collapse. In November 2022, the National Cutural Heritage Administration approved the implementation of the restoration project of Wan'an Bridge, and Huang Minping, a representative inheritor of the traditional construction skills of wooden arch bridges in Fujian Province, and Huang Minhui, a representative inheritor of Ningde City, will be the "main ink" of the restoration project. The first step in the repair work is to identify the wooden components that can still be used after the fire and adhere to the principle of minimal intervention. ”Huang Minhui introduced that the craftsmanship team and cultural relic restoration experts numbered the preserved original wooden components one by one. The repair process also faces significant challenges. The Wan'an Bridge has five piers and six arches, each with different spans, heights, and directions. It is equivalent to building six bridges, and then connecting these six bridges together to achieve overall coordination. "Huang Minhui recalled that it took a full seven days for on-site measurement and calculation, and more than two months for construction preparation. In 2024, the repaired Wan'an Bridge passed the acceptance inspection. On the bridge pillar near Changxin Village, faint black traces of flames can be seen. We have preserved the burn marks on the wooden components, both for the purpose of restoring their original appearance and to remember the lessons learned, "said Huang Minhui. You have entered the Wan'an Bridge area, no open flames... "As you stepped onto the steps of Wan'an Bridge, the bridge side broadcast began to automatically play prompts. Smoke sensors and thermal imaging cameras are installed under the corridor and on the bridge arch. Once there is an abnormality, the sprinkler system will automatically start. Not only should the Wan'an Bridge be repaired, but also the protection measures for cultural relics such as wooden arch bridges should be improved. ”Wu Shantian, director of Pingnan County Cultural Relics Protection Service Center, introduced that the county has installed IoT monitoring equipment such as fire protection, security, and structural monitoring in cultural relics protection units, and has implemented normalized management of cultural relics such as corridors and bridges, establishing and improving long-term protection mechanisms. The Pingtan River Wind and Rain Bridge Group in Tongdao, Hunan Province, has gone from static protection to active utilization. In the spring and clear scenery, there are 9 wind and rain covered bridges strung together on the Pingtan River in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province. In the bridge corridor, elderly people gather to chat, children chase and play, and occasionally tourists hold their phones to take pictures of the couplets on the bridge. This is a 'living' path. In recent years, Hunan Passage has focused on these 9 key national cultural relics protection units, the Wind and Rain Bridges, and developed the Pingtan River Wind and Rain Bridge Group Cultural Relics Theme Trail through the "Corridor Bridge+Cultural Tourism" model, allowing ancient corridor bridges to better integrate into modern life. The Pingtan River Basin is the hinterland of Baili Dong Township. The covered bridges here integrate bridges, corridors, and pavilions, without the need for nails or rivets. They are all connected by mortise and tenon joints and are treasures of traditional architectural art. However, these covered bridges are scattered and transportation is inconvenient. Once upon a time, tourists could only "see one bridge and walk one village". Cultural relics cannot be 'kept in the boudoir', they must be brought closer and understood by people, "said Yang Shengchun, a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Dong ethnic group's wooden architecture construction skills in Tongdao. Local cultural relic experts, tourism planning teams, and traditional craftsmen are invited to participate in the design. After repeated exploration, a cultural relic themed tour path with the Wind and Rain Bridge as an important node gradually took shape. The hiking trail relies on existing rural roads and trails, turning each wind and rain bridge into a "relay station". At the bridgehead, one can learn about history and culture through stone tablets, watch craftsmen demonstrate mortise and tenon craftsmanship in the gallery, admire carved window frames on the bridge, taste specialty cuisine in Dong villages, and experience the charm of intangible cultural heritage such as Dong lusheng on the way... Rich experiential methods integrate the scattered gallery bridges into a perceptible and interactive tourist route. Eurasia Mi, Secretary of the Party Group of the Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau of Tongdao County, stated that the "corridor bridge+cultural tourism" model organically integrates cultural relic protection, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and rural revitalization, helping the Wind and Rain Bridge to move from "static protection" to "dynamic inheritance". (New Society)