VIRTUAL: Prague Heritages

Abstract

The covered bridges of Taishun, China are a rich historical architectural type, both in terms of structure and use. These bridges were first depicted in the painting ‘Qingming Shanghetu’ by Zhang Zeduan. The covered bridges were built along important ancient roads and often in accordance with principles of Fengshui, thus integrating architecture, landscape, and aesthetics. These unique structures also hosted various programs. They would serve as a resting place for travelers to spend the night, as lively markets, as well as hosting religious functions such as shrines, sacrifice rituals, and religious offerings. Much of the historical architectural heritage in Taishun is under-documented, or lost altogether, due to the process of rapid urbanization in China over the past decades. The covered bridge is a forgotten historic typology that, as previously described, far exceeded its obvious functional role as a link between A and B. The bridge was much more than a single point of interest, as an isolated architectural object, but rather can only be understood as a part of a complex historic trade network of local and distant goods and ideas. Research on the covered bridges of Taishun has, up until this point, focused mainly on the structural system of the bridges rather than the important social role they played in society. The social function of forgotten public typologies such as the covered bridge becomes an interesting entry point to reexamine the intersection of infrastructure, landscape, and culture, and how these may inform new spatial opportunities for public life.