Timber arch bridge

Roman emperors who conquered the Germanic tribes, the genius military engineer Leonardo da Vinci, Japanese carpenters who stowed away to California, Song dynasty Chinese jailers and the painter of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," mountain dwellers from Fujian and Zhejiang, Norwegian carpenters, the designers of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge... What intersections could there be between them? — In this special "collection of detective stories," their "thoughts" converged. Timber arch bridges, a peculiar and rare form of bridge, yet one that continually appears across various times and corners of human history. Its "universal uniqueness" is a key to understanding human architectural civilization. This is a serious academic treatise on architectural history, and also a fascinating "treasure hunt." The author spent twelve years delving into deep mountains and crossing oceans, wielding axes and carrying wood, perusing literature and ancient texts in multiple languages, and employing every academic method to find answers about timber arch bridges. This book focuses on "timber arch bridges," a structural form where timber is interwoven to create arches, a rare and extraordinary type of bridge architecture in human history. Despite their distinctiveness, timber arch bridges have existed widely across different architectural civilizations and historical periods, and have been considered original or exceptional within various cultural contexts. This "universal uniqueness" makes them a peculiar architectural phenomenon in human civilization. This book will explore timber arch bridges from different times and spaces, telling their stories and history. The book is divided into three parts. The first two parts are designed as five independent "story" links, respectively involving bridge cases or academic history from Italy, Japan, China's Song Dynasty, and the Ming and Qing dynasties onwards. The author takes on the role of a "detective," guiding readers to observe diverse bridge cases, interpret the minds of different craftsmen, and experience different cultural histories. Each spatiotemporal narrative is independent, revolving around the same core: How did they come into being? And for what reasons, and in what forms, did they grow in their respective cultural soils? In the concluding chapter, the five independent links will finally converge, "summoning the divine dragon." Using the timber arch bridge as a guiding thread, we will delve deep into the heartland of various cultures, observing many unusual landscapes that ordinary "travel guides" would not mention. When we lay out all these treasures unearthed from different destinations, they magically form a grander view: a map of human history centered on structural thinking, a special history of technology and society.

2021-09-01

清华大学出版社

381

9787302586746