The Song of the River: The Hidden Beauty of Old Covered Bridges

Description

The Song of the River: The Hidden Beauty of Old Covered Bridges

 

Author: Zhou Huacheng

Translator: Elaine Ng

Editor: Mike Igoe

Order No. 1228

ISBN-13: 9781622461226

ISBN-10: 1622461223

Binding: Hardcover

Publisher: Homa & Sekey Books

Pub Year: 2024

Language: English

Size: 5.5 x 8.5

Page: 169

Price: $29.95. You pay only $17.97 (after 40% discount).

 

About the Book

Between the mountains and rivers of southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian in China, there are nearly a hundred old, covered bridges that have experienced the hardships of time. They carry the legacy of history, have endured a long period of time, and have survived until now. These old Chinese bridges have important historical and cultural value. They also represent a world cultural heritage.

 

The author of this book spent two years traveling into remote mountains to visit the old, covered bridges and exploring the touching events and people around them. He shows the great spiritual power left by the cultural heritage. His work also reveals the various kinds of conflicts and competitions in the development of China’s economy. It shows the beauty of harmony achieved between man and nature following all these collisions.

 

About the Author

Member of Chinese Writers Association, Member of the Prose Committee of Zhejiang Writers Association, Vice Chairman of Quzhou Writers Association, Zhejiang Province, Founder of “Father’s Rice Field”.

Zhou published more than one million words in publications such as “People’s Literature”, “Chinese Writers” and other publications.  He had published more than 20 kinds of work including “Sitting with flowers for a while longer”, “Slow Spring mountain”, “Seeking flowers”, “The taste of grass and trees”, “One meal and one world”, and “The beauty of creation”, etc. The prose collection “One meal and one world” has been reprinted ten times, with a circulation of more than 50,000 copies.

 

About the Translator

Elaine Ng has joined the English Department of WKU since September 2018. She received a PhD in Comparative Literature from University College London in the UK. She has substantial experience teaching English, linguistics, translation and literature courses in universities in Hong Kong and China.

 

About the Editor

Mike Igoe is an Associate Professor of Communication at the State University of New York at its Fredonia campus. He is also an attorney and is admitted to the New York State Bar. His areas of specialty are broadcast journalism, public speaking/professional presentations, and media law.

 

CONTENTS

Synopsis  Ⅰ

 

Chapter One

A Teahouse in Qiaotou  001

 

Chapter Two

The Old Days by the Covered Bridge  017

 

Chapter Three

A Lifetime of One Bridge  043

 

Chapter Four

Covered Bridge of  Yayang River — News of  Time   097

 

Chapter Five

Meet at the Covered Bridge  119

 

Acknowledgment  161

 

BOOK EXCERPT

4

The day when the “Meranti” typhoon destroyed Xuezhai Bridge was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Dr. Bao was going to the countryside to return to his hometown for the festival, but the storm blocked him on the road. The mountain torrents had submerged the road, so he had to change his itinerary. Fortunately, he was familiar with the road and returned to his home in the county town.

Almost at the same time, he heard the news that the soaring flood had washed down the Xuezhai Bridge. In just two hours, three national treasure covered bridges in Taishun were washed away by the flood. He also heard later that many villagers shed tears when they saw the Xuezhai Bridge fall.

Soon, people spontaneously joined the rescue operation of the ancient bridge. The rain continued and the flood receded a little, so people searched for the washed away wooden bridge components from the downstream stream. One by one, piece by piece, people recovered 90% of the original components.

Where there are people to help, there are bridges.

After the storm, the bridge could be rescued and restored. Before the Xuezhai Bridge restoration project started, the villagers held a grand restart ceremony for the bridge. Half a year later, beside the Xuezhai Bridge, the villagers held a girder-lifting ceremony for the covered bridge in full accordance with the Taishun bridge construction ceremony in the past. The beam-raising ceremony was presided over by Zheng Changgui, the carpenter in charge of restoring the Xuezhai Bridge. A table of sacrifices was set up at the scene, gongs and drums were played and firecrackers were set off, and Master Zheng was chanting.

On that day, many villagers came from both sides of Jinxi River. Some of them were old people who repaired Xuezhai Bridge more than 30 years ago, and some of them repaired the Xuezhai Bridge more than 50 years ago. Today, they come every few days to help the current carpenter repair the bridge from the memory in their heads. Cultural relic experts also came, and they tried their best to restore the ancient bridge to its original appearance with the help of complete and detailed archives.

In December 2017, the Xuezhai Bridge was rebuilt, and a bridge renovation ceremony was held.

The majestic appearance of the Xuezhai Bridge had returned to the Jinxi River, and the hearts of the villagers on both sides, which had been empty for a long time, were full again. When the renovation work of the bridge was completed, firecrackers sounded, and men, women and children gathered to step on the covered bridge one after another. If they step on the bridge, good luck would accompany the villages and people on both sides of the river. Step on the bridge, your feet would be steadfast, and your heart would be at ease.

Almost all the people from Yinggangdian Street came, those who run department stores and supermarkets, those who sold tofu, those who run barber shops and restaurants, those who run iron shops, Chinese medicine stores and dental clinics, all of them came.They all came to step on the bridge. Members of the Xue and Zhang clans on both sides of the bridge, as well as people with the surnames of Zhao， Qian, Sun, Li, and others, all came and stepped on the bridge. People from villages farther away, Xuexi, Dongxi, Xiyang, Daan, Xialu, Jianzhou, Yangxi, and other places also came, and they all came to step on the bridge. At this time, I didn’t think about Fengshui or Black Bag Theory, I just thought, today is a good day, and I want to enjoy the happiness of this covered bridge. Perhaps one can still think of anyone in this world—who hasn’t had any ups and downs in life? Just take a look at this covered bridge and you will have an idea in mind what it is like.

In the late spring when Lao Bao took me to the Xuezhai Bridge, the camphor trees at the head of the bridge were also blooming, sending out bursts of fragrance. The riverside port of the Xuezhai Bridge has a history of 100 years. Is that right? There are two ancient trees beside the port, one is a 450-year-old maple tree, and the other is a 1,000-year-old camphor tree. It can be imagined how bustling the old streets and riverports were here before.

In the ancient town of Sankui, there are also some profound intangible cultural heritages, such as Yaofa puppet show, string puppet show, dragon, phoenix and lion lanterns, etc. By the way, there is also a banquet for hundreds of families—Every year during the Lantern Festival, the clansmen set up long tables to feast on the street. This custom has continued since the Song Dynasty.

We walked on Yinggangdian Street. This old street reminded me of the Toon Tree Street in Su Tong’s novel, and the old street in the movie “Furong Town.” On each old street, there were characters who tried their best to live their lives, singing and dancing, laughing, and crying, turning each delicate and solid life into a poem. Perhaps, the covered bridge is their dreamt place. The covered bridge flutters over the river like a big bird, taking people’s gaze far away.

We boarded the restored Xuezhai Bridge together. There were people sitting and chatting on the bridge, and others were playing chess. Lao Bao walked back and forth, back and forth twice. I have been standing on the bridge, looking out through the flower window, where I can see the long Jinxi River, and as if I can see the distant past time.