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Chinese Bridges
It is, however, the tragedy of the Blue Bridge that is more widely known. It was
first mentioned in A Record of the Historian (Shi Ji): Biography of Su Qin,
written over 2,000 years ago. Su Qin, a statesman during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), was recorded by Sima
Qian as praising the tale's protagonist as an example of trustworthiness and
reliability. The story goes that a man name Wei Sheng arranged to meet a woman
under a bridge over a dry riverbed. Before she arrived, however, floods came and
the riverbed was inundated. Wei Sheng did not flee, but held on to the pillar of
the bridge until he eventually drowned in the torrents. The phrase ¡°Holding the
pillar¡± is hence synonymous with trustworthiness and reliability.
 Wind and Rain Bridge
Another bridge-oriented American film, The Bridges of Madison County,
reflects the contrasting moral attitudes of two middle-aged people who meet and
fall in love on a bridge. Known to Chinese audiences as The Nostalgic Dream of
Covered Bridges (Lang Qiao Yi Meng), a Chinese parallel was also summoned for
purposes of translating its title. As the covered ¡°wind and rain¡± bridge in
China also doubles as a lovers¡¯ lane, it is an apt title for a story of love
that blooms on a bridge.
In the mountainous and riverine Miao minority villages of Guizhou Province, covered wooden bridges are omnipresent. When
the day¡¯s work ends, young villagers spend their leisure time on the bridge
nearest to their homes, communicating by antiphonal singing. They may sing about
what they will eat for dinner, what work has been done that day, or to express
love and affection. On descent of the night chill, they all stand up to dance,
giving lovers the chance to get closer.
Guangxi, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang also have many ancient
covered bridges, Taishun County in the southern mountainous area of Zhejiang
being site of 30 dating from the 14th to the early 20th centuries. Among them,
Santiao Bridge is the oldest. When rebuilt in 1843, it was found to have been
made from Tang Dynasty (618-907) bricks and tiles. Qingyuan County in
southwestern Zhejiang has more than 90 covered bridges, and is regarded as a
museum for this ancient example of Chinese engineering.
The covered bridge does not fall under any of the four categories of ancient
Chinese bridge: beamed, arched, cabled or floating. Its folk name refers to a
bridge with corridors and pavilions that in ancient times served as decoration,
gave shelter from rain and scorching heat and also protected the wooden
structure from sun, rain and snow erosion, as well as making it more resilient
to floods. Socially, however, the covered bridge still has a purpose similar to
that of the Magpie Bridge: that of a trysting place for young
lovers.
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