Early concrete bridges in China as (dissonant) modern heritage: A case study of the double-curved bridges in Nanjing

IF 1 4区 社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY Curator: The Museum Journal Pub Date : 2023-12-28 DOI:10.1111/cura.12599
Yichuan Chen
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Abstract

This research aims to explore early concrete bridges in China, especially those from 1950s to 1970s, as a form of modern heritage. It asserts that there are inherent contradictions in how these bridges were perceived over half a century later. Although this may affect their listing as cultural heritage, it also makes them a representative case for a decentered approach to modern heritage not only at an international level, but also within a particular national context. In a country still building concrete bridges of ever-increasing scales, early concrete bridges in China, despite their age, are seldom considered as cultural heritage. However, while historically and technologically these bridges were close to the everyday lived experiences, they are often more difficult to research than older, pre-1949 buildings and structures. This is not only because of the lack of readily available archives, but also that these bridges, especially the iconic “double-curved” bridges, which were politicized during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), represented an important period in modern Chinese history that is still politically sensitive and contested, possessing cultural values that mean vastly different things for different people. This is illustrated by the case study of three bridges in Nanjing: the Yangtze River Bridge of Nanjing, arguably the most famous Chinese bridge in the twentieth century; the Little Egret Bridge (Bailu Bridge), an early double-curved bridge, which is said to be a prototype of the former; and the Xiaolingwei Experimental Bridge, an important landmark in the development of the double-curved bridge but entirely forgotten after the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Accounts from before, during, and after the Cultural Revolution provide very different narratives about the process of their design and construction. Their different geographical locations and different associations with this turbulent and contested period of modern Chinese history also affects their conservation status today. All these factors combined make these bridges an exemplar of dissonant modern heritage that, although situated in a Chinese context, has important lessons globally for our understanding of the impact and legacies of modernity.

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MOHOA2 作为(不和谐的)现代遗产的中国早期混凝土桥梁:南京双曲拱桥案例研究
本研究旨在探索中国早期的混凝土桥梁,尤其是 20 世纪 50 年代至 70 年代的桥梁,将其视为一种现代遗产。研究认为,半个多世纪后,人们对这些桥梁的看法存在内在矛盾。虽然这可能会影响它们被列为文化遗产,但也使它们成为一个具有代表性的案例,不仅在国际层面,而且在特定的国家背景下,以一种去中心化的方式处理现代遗产。在一个仍在建造规模不断扩大的混凝土桥梁的国家,中国早期的混凝土桥梁尽管年代久远,却很少被视为文化遗产。然而,尽管从历史和技术角度来看,这些桥梁与人们的日常生活经验十分贴近,但与 1949 年以前的老建筑和结构相比,它们往往更难研究。这不仅是因为缺乏现成的档案资料,还因为这些桥梁,尤其是在无产阶级文化大革命(1966-1976 年)期间被政治化的标志性 "双曲 "桥,代表了中国现代史上的一个重要时期,而这一时期在政治上仍然是敏感的、有争议的,其文化价值对不同的人来说意义迥异。南京三座桥梁的案例研究就说明了这一点:南京长江大桥,可以说是二十世纪中国最著名的桥梁;小白鹭大桥(白鹿桥),一座早期的双曲拱桥,据说是前者的原型;以及孝陵卫实验桥,双曲拱桥发展过程中的一个重要里程碑,但在 1966 年文化大革命开始后被完全遗忘。文革前、文革中和文革后的记载对它们的设计和建造过程提供了截然不同的叙述。它们所处的不同地理位置以及与这段动荡不安、充满争议的中国现代史的不同关联也影响了它们今天的保护状况。所有这些因素结合在一起,使这些桥梁成为不和谐的现代遗产的典范,尽管是在中国的背景下,但对于我们理解现代性的影响和遗产具有重要的全球借鉴意义。
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来源期刊
Curator: The Museum Journal
Curator: The Museum Journal HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
1.70
自引率
10.00%
发文量
63
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