Current Status and Thinking of Chinese Ancient Bridges Protection

Abstract

<p>Since China is one of the major origins of human civilization, the wisdom of the ancients plays a prominent role in the field of bridge construction. On one hand, many ancient bridges on behalf of the construction level, historical features and architectural arts in different historical periods vanished because of structural degradation, natural disasters, man-made destruction or other reasons. On the other hand, the existing ancient bridges are faced with repair, reinforcement and renovation in varying degrees. There can be little doubt about the historical value of the existing ancient bridges, which can be seen as the walking encyclopedia of bridge construction. Therefore, it has become a heated issue on how to protect the ancient bridges to make it permanent and how to utilize their potential values. The history of Chinese ancient bridges is combed and the technical contribution to the world about bridge development are expounded in this article. According to investigation of existing ancient bridges, especially the bridges served as cultural relics, technical status is reflected and major problems faced in process of protection as well as restoration are proposed. Then, with the introduction to actual cases of protecting and utilizing ancient bridges, the experiences and lessons are summarized, which simulates the public discussion of ancient bridges protection. Finally, consideration and suggestions about ancient bridges protection are proposed regarding legislation, principles, techniques and culture.</p>