Chapter 13: To See or Not to See

["A craft is only listed as intangible heritage when it is on the verge of extinction."]

How realistic, yet how cruel.

The traditional construction skills of wooden arch bridges serve as a living fossil of bridge building technology in China.

It represents the highest level of ancient Chinese wooden bridge construction.

It embodies the wisdom of ancient laborers.

Bridges built with this technology exist only in an area about 200 kilometers in diameter at the border of Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in China.

The year Nie Guangyi took his college entrance exam, three counties in Zhejiang—Taishun, Qingyuan, and Jingning—and four counties in Fujian—Shouning, Zhouning, Pingnan, and Zhenghe—jointly applied for UNESCO heritage status for this skill.

A total of 22 Min-Zhe wooden arch bridges were packaged for the application, with Wan'an Bridge being one of them.

A historical record of the past and present lives of Wan'an Bridge can be found in the annals of Pingnan County.

Constructed during the Song Dynasty, it had five stone pier foundations, with pavilions built on them. In the year of the Dog, it was destroyed by arson, leaving only a plank. (1708)

Rebuilt in the seventh year of Emperor Qianlong's reign. (1742)

Again burnt down by thieves in the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign, a wooden framework was erected for crossing. (1768)

Reconstructed in the twenty-fifth year of the Daoguang era. (1845)

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was again destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1932.

In 1952, the northwest end was washed away by flood, destroying two arches, and it was repaired in 1954.

For those not from this place, had it not been for last night's fire, the name Wan'an Bridge would not have been known at all.

Let alone people from other places, even the original residents of Fujian and Zhejiang mostly have never heard of it.

Even if they had heard of it, there are other bridges with the same name in the nearby counties and cities.

The phrase "cultural heritage protection" has always been an extremely detached concept for most people.

However, for the villagers of Changqiao Village, Wan'an Bridge is a testament to generation after generation of life in this place.

From birth until twilight years, year after year, generation after generation.

Wan'an Bridge was originally a very beautiful and accommodating wooden arch covered bridge.

The bridge house spans 38 bays, using 156 columns, with a total length of 98.2 meters.

This bridge was designed with unequal spans.

The longest arch span is 15.2 meters, and the shortest is 10.6 meters.

The bridge piers are boat-shaped.

Double-eaved bridge pavilions with green tile double-sloped roofs.

Dou-gong style wooden beams and frames with soaring flying eaves.

On both sides of the 4.7-meter-wide bridge deck are contiguous benches, commonly known as "beautiful women's rests".

In spring, summer, autumn, and winter, no matter the season, many people can be seen on the bridge.

Elderly people chat there, and children play there.

On summer nights, the cool breeze on the bridge is so refreshing that it's hard to leave.

Walking on this bridge is like stepping into history.

People from Changqiao Village unconsciously slow their pace when they get here.

When Xuan Shi followed Nie Guangyi to Changqiao Village, what she first saw was a scene of many people sitting by the stream, silently crying.

"Why are so many people sitting here crying? Are your grandparents in the village that influential?" Xuan Shi was quite puzzled by this.

Weeping loudly for an elderly person's departure doesn't necessarily mean true sorrow, but silent tears surely do.

What level of respect and esteem must a person have to make an entire village cry in silence at their impending departure?

"You're overthinking it, they are crying for the bridge, not for my grandparents or anyone else," Nie Guangyi clarified.

"Crying for the bridge?" Xuan Shi was even less able to understand.

"You've been driving the whole time; there have been lots of videos of Wan'an Bridge on fire being uploaded." Nie Guangyi pointed to the phone and said, "Just open a few, and you'll see many people are crying while taking videos."

After thinking for a moment, Xuan Shi said, "The villagers must see this bridge as part of their own home."

"Perhaps."

Nie Guangyi didn't know what his feelings should be right now.

And he didn't know what the right emotion would be, if feelings could be right or wrong.

Should he feel as sad as the villagers, or should he feel a slight sense of schadenfreude?

Perhaps, impassiveness is the most appropriate way to treat this situation.

"Then you can understand your grandfather's feelings for this bridge," Xuan Shi commented.

"It is understandable," Nie Guangyi said with a wry smile, "my grandfather is indeed the auspicious sign and the reason behind the naming of this bridge."

"Are you very bothered by this?" Xuan Shi asked.

"I don't mind at all. What's there to mind about having a grandfather who is a bearer of intangible heritage?"

"So, Guangyi, if anyone should be angry about being abandoned, it should be your father, right? Since Professor Nie himself doesn't mind being cast aside, you shouldn't be angry with your grandfather anymore."

Nie Guangyi replied bluntly, "I'm not angry with my grandfather."

"Then there's no need for you to be allergic to antiquities, is there?" Xuan Shi suggested, "Just like with me and coffee, once the misunderstanding is cleared up, there's no more allergen."

"How do you still not understand? From the beginning to the end, the one I'm mad at has always been my father."

Nie Guangyi asked with a slightly stern tone, "Can you understand Professor Nie's actions? He was the person of ill omen who got rejected by this place. If he hadn't been obsessed with getting this place heritage status, would I have ended up like this?"

In 1954, Qiu Fuyan, Nie Guangyi's grandfather who had just entered his forties, devoted himself entirely to the restoration of the bridge's arches.

He worked tirelessly, even forgetting that he had a son under three years old, wishing he could live on the bridge.

Nie Guangyi's grandmother, Qiu Qingyun, not only had to take care of Nie Guangyi's father,

but also worried every day whether Qiu Fuyan would fall again from over eight meters high.

As Granny Qiu saw it, having been lucky once didn't mean one would always be lucky.

Grandpa Qiu, however, didn't see it that way.

He worked from daybreak till dusk every day.

Wherever there was danger, he would be there.

Additionally, at that time, the rumors that Nie Guangyi's father was an "ominous person" were rampant, so Grandma Qiu was far from rested or at ease.

Perhaps out of superstition, or maybe it was truly too much to handle,

Nie Guangyi's father was thus sent to live with a family with the last name Nie in Shanghai.

By the time Nie Guangyi was born, Grandpa Nie had already passed away.

Therefore, for Nie Guangyi, although their surnames were different, he had always had only one grandfather.

When he was young, he even liked to stay in Changqiao Village during summer and winter vacations.

Speaking of which, Nie Guangyi's erhu was taught by Old Master Qiu.

"What exactly did Professor Nie tell you?" Xuan Shi only had an endless stream of questions when she was with Nie Guangyi.

"My dad didn't say anything, but my mom has always been very hostile towards Changqiao Village. Every time my dad asked me to go there, she'd be angry and wouldn't talk to me for days."

"How did you find out then?"

"It was the matter of changing my college entrance exam preferences, which completely set off the conflict between my dad and mom."

Without waiting for Xuan Shi to ask, Nie Guangyi, like turning on a faucet, poured everything out:

"My dad had five older brothers in Changqiao Village, all born to my grandparents."

"These five brothers had a total of twelve children, all of whom my dad supported through their education."

"My dad promised to see them through from elementary school all the way to graduation from college."

"With such a heavy burden, he could never have found a good partner in Shanghai."

"Then he met my mom."

"My mom said that before they got married, she didn't care, but once they were married, their earnings would be joint property."

"She thought they should prioritize their own small family first, instead of the one that didn't want him."

"Furthermore, my uncles' situations gradually improved, and they were entirely capable of supporting their own kids' education."

"But my dad just wouldn't listen."

"My mom always had a strong opinion about this."

"My dad may not be lacking money now, but go back twenty or thirty years, who could support a dozen kids all at once?"

"My mom is quite tolerant and never quarreled with my dad in front of me."

"The day the college entrance examination admission letter arrived, my mom got so angry she divorced my dad on the spot."

Seeing that Nie Guangyi had paused, Xuan Shi quickly reverted back to questioning mode.

"Is that why you started to be allergic to classics?"

"I'm allergic to you, Datou."

Having heard the story up to this point, Xuan Shi was almost able to deduce the real reason behind Nie Guangyi's allergy.

…

When Meng Xin Zhi finished her bath and came out, she saw Cheng Nuo standing at the corner of the stairs.

"Sister Cheng Nuo, how come you disappeared while I was taking a bath? Weren't you going to look for a book in my room?"

"Something came up unexpectedly, and now, I can't concentrate on reading."

"What happened?" Meng Xin Zhi asked concernedly.

"My boyfriend just left."

"Did something happen between you two?"

"No, he said something came up at his brother's house and he had to rush over immediately."

"Sister Cheng Nuo, are you upset because you feel neglected?"

"I just don't know what could be so urgent to make him rush off like that."

"Didn't you ask?"

"There was no time; he said he'd call me later."

"Well, if that's the case, Sister Cheng Nuo, just try to relax for now."

Meng Xin Zhi, holding Cheng Nuo's hand, descended from upstairs.

She saw Zong Ji and Zong Yi engrossed together watching videos.

Even though they had approached quite close, neither of these two, one big and one small, realized it.

"What video is so interesting?" Meng Xin Zhi asked Zong Yi.

"It's not interesting, my sister, what it's talking about is that an ancient bridge got burned down."

Hearing about an ancient bridge being destroyed, Meng Xin Zhi couldn't remain indifferent.

"Which bridge?" Meng Xin Zhi also leaned in curiously.

Zong Ji adjusted the phone screen so that both his daughters could see it clearly.

"The video says the bridge is called Wan'an Bridge. And Uncle Yi's grandfather had a stroke because of this incident, so Brother Yi has gone back to his hometown with him."

Feeling slightly aggrieved, Zong Yi sought sympathy from Meng Xin Zhi: "My sister, you have no idea how hard I tried not to tell Uncle Yi that he must finish playing two pieces on the erhu before leaving."

"Mm, Xiaoyi did the right thing," Meng Xin Zhi instinctively praised her little sister.

Her eyes never left the video playing on Zong Ji's phone.

Elated by her sister's praise, Zong Yi blurted out her catchphrase: "Sister, sister, sister, I have a question."

"What's the question?" A standard response combined with a head pat.

"The news said the bridge is a cultural relic, so, sister, have you ever dreamed about it?"

Seeing Meng Xin Zhi hesitate, Zong Yi pressed on: "Sister, sister, sister, shall we go have a look?"