A roofed arch bridge in Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, with a history of over 400 years, welcomed a special group of visitors on November 26—more than 30 teenagers from the United States participating in the 2025 Chinese Culture Experience Camp.

Known as langqiao in Chinese, roofed arch bridges are structures with roofed corridors. As early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), residents in the mountainous Taishun area relied on these bridges to cross streams and valleys. More than just passages, they also functioned as marketplaces, resting spots and venues for religious ceremonies. The entire structure is built without a single nail or rivet, held together entirely by intricate mortise-and-tenon joinery.

Taishun is home to 32 ancient roofed arch bridges, which remain woven into the daily lives of local communities. Wu Junlong, an associate professor at the School of Foreign Languages of Wenzhou University of Technology and one of the camp's initiators and leaders, expressed his hope that such exchange activities would help visitors to China gain a more comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of its culture.

"Many in the group marveled at the roofed arch bridges here and the clean, rustic charm of the countryside left a deep impression on them," Wu said.

The living legacy 

Lin Ruozheng, head of Xiaqiao Village in the county, fondly recalled his aunt selling tofu by the bridge and his grandfather's pharmacy was at the bridgehead. He said as these structures have gained recognition, villagers have voluntarily formed patrols to guard them during floods, protecting this shared heritage.

Rapid urbanization once threatened the craftsmanship of Chinese wooden arch bridges as few people were learning the necessary skills to build them. Natural disasters also posed continuous risks. In September 2016, a typhoon severely damaged three major bridges in Taishun. Local residents spontaneously waded into the waters to retrieve wooden components and organized fundraising, completing the main restoration within a month.

Local authorities have implemented multiple measures to revitalize this craft. These include pioneering the Wenzhou Taishun Roofed Arch Bridge Protection Regulation in 2021 to strengthen safeguards, organize training workshops, and launch the Roofed Arch Bridges Going Global campaign to enhance international visibility.

On December 5, 2014, the "traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges," represented by Taishun's roofed arch bridges, were reclassified by UNESCO from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity—a reclassification showing improved protection. 

For locals like Lin, roofed arch bridges are not just landmarks but also symbols of cultural exchange. Wenzhou-Kean University, based in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, is facilitating a sister-city relationship between Taishun and Lovech, Bulgaria, which also has a unique roofed arch bridge, hoping to link the two cultures through the bridges.

A staff member (right) introduces the traditional construction techniques used to build roofed arch bridges at Taishun Culture Center in Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, on February 25 (XINHUA)

Extended journeys 

Today, in China, cultural heritage is moving beyond museums and being woven seamlessly into the fabrics of modern life, becoming vibrant and relevant. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is integrated with tourism to create an economic ecosystem that sustains its own preservation.

Nowhere is this more vivid than in Danzhai Wanda Town, Guizhou Province, a place rightfully dubbed "China's ICH Town." There, people experience ICH rather than observe. Visitors roll up their sleeves to make paper using 1,300-year-old techniques at workshops, their hands dipping into the same vats as generations before them. They feel the fabric under wax in a batik class, dance to the rhythmic beat of the Miao Jinji Dance, and sleep in a guesthouse adorned with intricate birdcage art. The Jinji Dance is a traditional folk dance from the Miao ethnic group, in which female performers wearing colorful costumes that resemble golden pheasants dance in a circle while male dancers play the lusheng, a traditional pipe instrument.

This May, these immersive experiences drew over 170,000 visitors, generating a staggering 190 million yuan ($27 million) in revenue in just half a month.

The recent Third China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Annual Conference, held in Danzhai, further showcased this momentum by featuring ICH from across the country. Over 500 inheritors and experts gathered, turning a 1.5-km street into a living encyclopedia of Chinese culture. The air vibrated with the thunder of Ansha Waist Drums and smelled of Leshan sweet-skinned duck, and skilled hands demonstrated bamboo weaving.

Visitors no longer just see and do; they also take a piece of the unique experience home in a batik scarf, a silver bracelet or other accessories. These transactions do more than generate income. They extend the heritage's journey to other places and into everyday life.

Heritage plus fashion 

In recent years, integrating ICH elements with fashion has become a growing trend. At the closing gala of the 2025 China International Fashion Week (Autumn/Winter Edition), a fashion collection centered on national-level intangible cultural heritage—the costume of Huian women—stole the show as the finale. Consequently, Huian County in Fujian Province was honored with the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Fashion Innovation Award, becoming the first county nationwide to receive this distinguished accolade.

Once practical workwear for protection against wind during labor, the Huian women's costume was reimagined on the runway. Traditional elements like the yellow conical bamboo hats and silver waistbands interplayed with modern tailoring and innovative fabrics under dynamic lighting.

Driving this transformation is the fresh energy of young inheritors like 35-year-old Zeng Ruting. Together with her mother, Liu Wuqiao, she safeguards the traditional craftsmanship while pioneering innovations in materials and styles. They have introduced lighter fabrics such as silk and brocade, redesigned the traditional headscarf into a more fashionable triangular kerchief, and even incorporated classic patterns into bachelor's gowns that have been exported overseas.

Simultaneously, the cultural essence of Huian women is undergoing a "metamorphosis" through creative cultural products. Local enterprises are transforming distinctive elements from the attire, such as the decorative metal pieces and traditional patterns, into accessories like bag charms and pendants that blend traditional symbolism with contemporary aesthetics. This allows the culture heritage to adorn daily life in a more accessible and graceful manner.

"Our ultimate goal is to elevate Huian women's costume into a cultural symbol," Zeng told Fujian Daily. "While preserving its heritage is crucial, innovation and development are even more important. Only in this way can traditional intangible cultural heritage remain vibrant and alive."

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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