Chapter 12 Who is willing to do it (Thanks to leader No. 001 @成_达)

Wan'an Bridge.

Wooden arcade bridge.

It was first built in 1090 AD, the fifth year of Yuanyou in the Northern Song Dynasty.

This ancient bridge has been rebuilt three times.

It was the seventh year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty, and the twenty-first year of the Republic of China.

They are 1742 AD, 1845 and 1932 AD respectively.

The number of repairs, large and small, is countless.

Even so, among the wooden arcade bridges, Wan'an Bridge is still not ill-fated.

It's even considered lucky.

The truly ill-fated wooden arcade bridge has long since disappeared from the earth.

Some survive in old photos, and more seem to have never existed.

In the 21st year of the Republic of China, Nie Guangyi's grandfather was still a child only a few years old.

That year, Wan'an Bridge was rebuilt for the third time.

Nie Guangyi's grandfather was young, playful and ignorant, so he made noisy and rushed backwards to the top of the unfinished bridge arch.

Without paying attention, he fell directly from a height of more than eight meters.

Free fall.

The carpenters working on the bridge all exclaimed.

But it doesn't help.

Then……

The naughty little boy swam ashore without any injuries.

This incident quickly spread widely in the village.

Some people say that this child is really lucky.

More people think this is a miracle brought by the ancient bridge itself.

Before the incident of falling into the water occurred.

People in the village call this bridge Long Bridge.

The Long Bridge is very long.

The kind of length that is invincible in the same category.

The village where this bridge is located is named Changqiao Village.

After the incident of falling into the water from a height, this long bridge got a new name - Wan'an Bridge.

From then on, Wan'an Bridge was no longer just a bridge, but also the belief of people from all over the country.

Because of this, Nie Guangyi’s grandfather had an indissoluble bond with the bridge.

He has dedicated his whole life to this bridge, and step by step has become an intangible inheritor of the traditional wooden arch bridge construction skills.

As early as 2009, the traditional wooden arch bridge construction technique was included in the first batch of "Intangible Cultural Heritage List in Urgent Protection" by UNESCO.

Wan'an Bridge, located in a remote village, may not be well-known to the public.

But there is a wooden arcade bridge that everyone has heard of more or less.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is a household name.

It appears in a painting.

One of China's top ten famous paintings handed down from generation to generation.

It ranks first among the people.

It is a national treasure-level cultural relic.

It is - "Along the River During Qingming Festival".

Using real brushstrokes, the five-meter-long scroll records the prosperous scene of Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty.

The natural scenery on both sides of the Bianhe River, the architectural features of Bianjing City, and the thriving people's livelihood in the capital.

Compared with the other nine famous paintings handed down from generation to generation, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" can be called a unique cultural heritage.

It's very down to earth.

It records the street life of people in the Song Dynasty in a particularly true way.

It provides important historical information for later generations to study urban life in the Song Dynasty.

Its historical value is even higher than its artistic value.

Like Dream of Red Mansions, "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" also has its own "school".

The study of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" covers social history, architectural history, transportation history, shipbuilding history, urban history, commercial history, advertising history, folklore history, clothing history...

In the center of the scroll, the Hong Bridge across the Bian River is a typical representative of wooden arcade bridges.

However, the bridge on the Bian River, although it is also a wooden arcade bridge, is only similar to the Wan'an Bridge in construction techniques.

The construction of Wan'an Bridge uses the most special, narrowest and most mature sub-category of wooden arch bridges - braided wooden arch bridges.

This subcategory is an independent pearl in the category of ancient bridges in my country.

The only place in the world where you can see bridges built using this technology is at the border between Zhejiang and Fujian.

It’s not that the woven wooden arch bridge is particularly beautiful.

On the contrary, weaving wooden arch bridges is the most practical technology with the most limited cost and in the most difficult and dangerous environment.

Leonardo da Vinci actually designed a similar arch bridge structure.

The leader of the three post-Renaissance heroes is an undoubted genius.

But Leonardo da Vinci's achievements in the design of arch bridges were far inferior to those of the Northern Song Dynasty carpenters who were born hundreds of years earlier than him.

Most of Leonardo da Vinci's designs were impossible to implement.

Just like the tank-mounted locomotive he designed.

It's all just a fantasy.

The traditional construction techniques of wooden arch bridges are the crystallization of ancient people’s wisdom in life.

The wooden arcade bridge is a pioneering work of ancient carpenters in bridge construction techniques.

The woven wooden arch bridge is an exquisite bridge-building technology that was forced out under extremely backward basic conditions.

Use wood to weave the arch, and use a mortise and tenon structure to connect the pieces of wood together.

Practicality is the true meaning of life wisdom.

Most of the existing woven wooden arch bridges are in their twilight years.

From a modern perspective, there is nothing remarkable at all, let alone amazing.

Many people have walked on it, and they may complain: "What age is it, why do we still keep these dilapidated wooden bridges that can't even be driven by cars?"

The voices of these people actually represent the vast majority.

This has also resulted in the vast majority of woven timber arch bridges being replaced by modern reinforced concrete bridges.

In the eyes of outsiders, the wooden arcade bridge is "old and aging".

But it is an intangible cultural heritage of mankind that is difficult to restore even with modern technology.

Today, there are only a handful of people who can completely master this intangible cultural heritage skill.

The Wan'an Bridge with woven wooden arcades has multiple piers and multiple spans, like a dragon, entrenched above the stream.

As the three-span, four-span, and five-span wooden arcade bridges that once appeared in old photos disappeared one after another.

The existence of Wan'an Bridge is not only a bridge, a belief, but also a living history.

Within the sub-category of woven wooden arch bridges, the Wan'an Bridge with five piers and six holes is undoubtedly the best "extant" in the world.

It's a pity that these two existing words were put into quotation marks by the fire last night that made Nie Guangyi's grandfather furious.

…

"Guangyi, you really shocked me today." Xuanshi insisted that he should drive.

His original intention was to let Nie Guangyi have a good rest.

After you have enough energy, go back and deal with things.

Nie Guangyi, however, had no intention of resting at all.

He didn't close his eyes or speak.

There wasn't even any expression on his face.

Nie Guangyi and Xuan Shi had hardly seen this kind of Nie Guangyi in their more than ten years of getting along.

"Huh?" Nie Guangyi did not refuse to communicate with Xuan Shi, and asked aloud: "Where is the shock?"

"Aren't you allergic to classical music?"

"Is there anything strange about this?" Nie Guangyi asked, "Aren't you also allergic to coffee for eight years?"

"I'm allergic to coffee because I'm afraid of hurting my feelings." Xuan Shi deliberately asked, "Does the dignified young man Guangyi have any past events that he can't bear to look back on?"

"I don't."

Nie Guangyi obviously didn't want to discuss this topic in depth, so Xuan Shi didn't ask further.

Speechless for a moment.

The sudden silence made the atmosphere in the car a bit depressing.

Xuan Shi played Nie Guangyi's favorite "Aurora".

This play made Nie Guangyi angry: "Don't you think I'm angry enough with Ji Guang? Are you playing a song just to make me angry?"

"Then I turn it off?" Xuan Shi compromised but was a little surprised: "Isn't this your favorite song by Angela Chang?"

Nie Guangyi did not answer.

Xuan Shi continued his question: "There are so many places in Europe where you can see the aurora, but you went to Alaska to shoot it. Isn't it because of this song?"

Xuan Shi wasn't particularly good at communication before, but now he's at a loss for words.

If the person sitting next to him hadn't been Nie Guangyi, who was in a bad mood, Xuan Shi would have shut up and concentrated on driving.

After a long time, Nie Guangyi finally responded: "Do you think you know me very well?"

"ah?"

Xuan Shi didn't know how to answer this question.

Having been brothers for more than ten years, it is definitely impossible to say that we don't understand.

However, between brothers, more often than not, they just need to point it out.

Nie Guangyi never asked Xuan Shi why he was allergic to coffee.

Naturally, Xuan Shi would not ask why Nie Guangyi was allergic to classical music.

Guangyi Dashao seems to be open-minded, but in fact he is very limited.

It is precisely for this reason that Xuan Shineng and Nie Guangyi became such good brothers.

"Do you know my grandfather's last name?" Nie Guangyi asked.

"Ah?" Xuanshi didn't know if he heard it wrong.

Nie Guangyi repeated: "Let me ask you, do you know my grandfather's surname?"

"Nie?"

"no?"

"So, it wasn't your biological grandfather who had the accident today?"

"He is my biological grandfather, but his surname is not Nie."

Xuan Shi met Nie Guangyi’s father, who was a doctoral supervisor in the Department of Architecture at Tongji University.

Professor Nie, undoubtedly named Nie.

If the biological grandfather's surname is not Nie, then there is only one possibility.

"Your father, like the little girl's sister today, has the same surname as your grandmother?" Xuan Shi asked.

"My grandma and my grandpa have the same last name."

"Ah? Then why? You don't have to say it if you don't want to." Xuan Shi was shocked today.

"You are going back to your hometown with me. Even if I don't say anything, you will naturally know."

Nie Guangyi began to talk about his family's past: "My father is older and was born in 1952. On the day he was born, the Wan'an Bridge that was burned down last night was washed away by a once-in-a-century flood."

"You mean, Wan'an Bridge was rebuilt once in 1952?"

"No, the one in 1952 can't be considered a reconstruction, it can only be considered a major repair?"

"Is it just a major overhaul?" Xuan Shi couldn't understand.

"right."

Nie Guangyi explained the reason to Xuanshi.

Although wooden arch bridges can be washed away by floods, they are not particularly afraid of floods.

The flood in 1952 destroyed two arches and twelve bays at the northwest end of Wan'an Bridge.

Eighty to ninety percent of the wooden structures were washed downstream.

The mountainous area where Wan'an Bridge is located has narrow streams and large terrain differences, so floods come and go quickly.

Nie Guangyi's grandfather, regardless of the fact that there was a new-born child at home, picked up all the things along the stream, and half of them were still usable.

Building a bridge requires at least thousands of wooden structures. The wooden structures of Wan'an Bridge are naturally more than the ordinary three-section seedlings and five-section seedlings.

With these original "accessories", the Wan'an Bridge's overhaul was able to retain many of its original features.

"Because Wan'an Bridge was washed away on the day my father was born, my father was considered an unknown person." Nie Guangyi asked Xuan Shi, "Isn't it a bit ridiculous?"

"In the countryside at that time," Xuan Shi said, "feudal superstition was inevitable."

"Really?" Nie Guangyi twitched the corner of his mouth and said: "But, a few decades ago, on the same bridge, my grandfather fell from the bridge more than 8 meters high, and was not injured at all.

Consider it auspicious."

"That's it..." Xuan Shi couldn't organize his words for the time being.

Nie Guangyi asked again: "Do you think our family is closely related to this bridge?"

"Yeah." Xuan Shi nodded.

He simply couldn't deny this.

"It was fate that my father, an unknown person, was given away when he was less than three years old." Nie Guangyi took a long breath and said, "So, I dislike my father very much."

"Ah? This..." Xuan Shi finally organized his words: "You can't blame your father for this, right? Isn't he still less than three years old? What choice does he have..."

"No, what I'm talking about is, his surname is Nie, so why should he help a family with a different surname? My father didn't get married until he was almost forty years old for the sake of a family that didn't want him."

Xuan Shi glanced at Nie Guangyi in confusion, then turned back and stared in the direction of the car.

"You can't understand, can you?" Nie Guangyi asked for approval.

"I... don't quite understand, what does helping others have to do with when to get married?"

"Forget it if you can't understand it. Let me tell you something that you can't even understand. You know my high school grades best, right? Will I be able to get into Tsinghua University easily?"

"Well, I remember that your first choice was Tsinghua Architecture. In the end, you chose Tongji in order to do joint research with your father." Xuan Shi felt that he should give some comfort at the right time: "Tongji's architecture is also the best in the country.

.”

"Do you know why I didn't go to Tsinghua University in the end?"

"Didn't you say at that time that you wanted to eat and wait to die under Professor Nie's protection?"

"Do you believe what I say? If I really think so, why do I start various exchanges abroad as soon as I enter college?"

"What's that for?" Xuanshi was very confused after finishing the college entrance examination.

Xuan Shi's grades are also excellent, and he can easily get into 985.

However, compared with Nie Guangyi, who could easily get into Tsinghua University, there is still a big gap.

Nie Guangyi once gave him two explanations.

The first one is to waste time under the protection of Professor Nie.

This statement is not reliable.

However, when Nie Guangyi finished telling him the second reason - [It's not all because he doesn't want to leave you].

Xuan Shi immediately felt that the first reason was more reliable.

Whether it was true or false, this matter had no final conclusion until the end.

After many years, Nie Guangyi finally gave a positive answer today: "Because the respected Professor Nie applied for an intangible cultural heritage project on traditional wooden arch bridge construction techniques."

"Then what?" Xuan Shi asked.

"Then, Professor Nie is just a simple scholar and has no hands-on ability. Although he applied, he was unable to complete this project on his own. And his son, that is, me, happened to be a long time ago.

He showed his talent in this area.”

"Then your father changed your choice?" Although he asked it himself, Xuan Shi still found this question a bit strange.

"Yes, the highly respected Professor Nie changed his son's college entrance examination application at the last moment."

"why?"

"To become an authority in this field."

"But isn't your grandfather the intangible inheritor of the traditional wooden arch bridge construction skills?"

"A skill will only be included in the "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urgent Need of Protection" when it is about to become extinct." Nie Guangyi asked rhetorically: "Who among young people like us is willing to do this?"

==========

[Floating comments]:

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" may be written in detail later.

If, just if, you want to read the story inside...

There are many studies on "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", and there are as many opinions as on "Redology".

Just how many people were recorded in this painting can arouse debate among generations of researchers.

Bai Shouyi's "General History of China" says there are more than 500.

Ken Saito's "Zhuotang Wenhua" says that there are more than 1,600.

The difference is more than three times.

This kind of question should be considered a relatively scientific question, right?

If you search on Baidu, you may get the answer of 815 people.

No version can be accepted by everyone.

There is no copyright in ancient paintings.

Therefore, it is easy to find the high-definition version of "Along the River During Qingming Festival" online.

Friends who are idle and bored can go and study it.

Remember to balance work with rest and do eye exercises frequently~

If this chapter has 5,000 words, it can be considered an extra update.

But this chapter only has 4500, so it cannot be counted as an additional update.

I just want to express my gratitude to Dadazi~
Chapter completed!