The 900-year-old wooden arch bridge from the Song Dynasty (960-1127) in Pingnan County, Fujian Province was destroyed in a fire on the night of August 6.
The fire was extinguished after about 10 hours, but the main structure of the Wan’an Bridge was burned and collapsed within the first 20 minutes of the incident. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Image of the historic arch bridge that was burned.
In an interview with Global Times on August 7, Mr. Xu Yitao, an expert in ancient architecture at Peking University, suggested that the cause of the fire may be human behavior, rather than a natural disaster. According to Mr. Xu, due to its wooden structure, the bridge is highly flammable.
Wan’an Bridge is the longest wooden arch bridge in China, measuring 98.2 meters in length, and holds significant cultural value, showcasing the ingenuity of ancient Chinese in wooden architectural design, particularly in successfully constructing such a long wooden arch bridge.
This is not the first time Wan’an Bridge has encountered a fire. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the bridge was also burned down and subsequently rebuilt.
Experts emphasize the necessity of enhancing the protection of ancient wooden architecture. In a statement to Global Times on August 7, Mr. Shan Jixiang from the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage noted that fire prevention is one of the most important tasks for safeguarding ancient wooden structures.
According to Mr. Xu Yitao, China is implementing four main measures to minimize damage to ancient architectural works, including using monitoring systems to ensure the security of the structures; preventing damage from lightning strikes; strengthening protective measures such as patrolling and inspections; and closely coordinating with local fire departments.
Mr. Xiao Fangping, an architectural archaeologist in Wuhan, believes that the most effective measure to protect architectural relics is education directed towards the public. Citizens should act with awareness and it is essential to disseminate and enhance community knowledge about the value of cultural relics. “Protecting cultural relics is not just the responsibility of researchers,” Mr. Xiao emphasized.
