Woven Arch Bridge

Book excerpt: This book focuses on the woven arch bridge, an arch-shaped structure that is one of the most extraordinary timber building traditions of the world. The woven arch bridge exists widely in different cultures and its specific nature is conceptualized by the author as a kind of “universal uniqueness,” challenging widespread viewpoints on its origin and genealogy. Taking this argument as its main thread, the book traces the histories of different woven-arch-bridge-cultures and investigates in particular the woven arch bridge in the mountains of Southeast of China from three angles, using both archaeological and anthropological methods. Resting upon these case studies, a definition of typology and a new theory of structural evolution are established, while the book also draws comparisons between western and eastern timber building cultures and offers new insights on the differences between East Asia and Europe. The book also provides a large number of examples and illustrations of the bridge, and will be of great value and inspiration for architects and scholars studying the history of architecture, bridges, and construction, while also appealing to general readers interested in historical bridges and traditional construction technology.