China pushed its traditional wooden arch bridge construction onto UNESCO's heritage list after spending years trying to save the craft from dying out because of urbanization and weather damage. The bridges first got flagged as endangered heritage back in 2009, but the country managed to turn things around and get them officially recognized as important global heritage.
Italian scholar Gabriella Bonino moved to Zhejiang Province and wrote a whole book about these bridges after getting obsessed with how craftsmen build them. American students from Utah recently visited Taishun County to check out the bridges themselves, and experts at Wenzhou-Kean University have been running seminars and competitions to spread awareness about the technique.
The whole thing ties into China's broader push for cultural exchange as part of their new five-year plan, with easier visa policies making it simpler for foreigners to visit and see Chinese heritage sites firsthand.
Italian scholar Gabriella Bonino moved to Zhejiang Province and wrote a whole book about these bridges after getting obsessed with how craftsmen build them. American students from Utah recently visited Taishun County to check out the bridges themselves, and experts at Wenzhou-Kean University have been running seminars and competitions to spread awareness about the technique.
The whole thing ties into China's broader push for cultural exchange as part of their new five-year plan, with easier visa policies making it simpler for foreigners to visit and see Chinese heritage sites firsthand.
