"Song of the River" is Now Available on the Shelves
On December 5, 2024, UNESCO inscribed "Traditional Craftsmanship of Chinese Wooden Arch Bridges" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
On December 5, 2025，one year later, a "Foreign Perspective on Wenzhou: International Communication and Exchange of Intangible Cultural Heritage" event was held at Wenzhou-Kean University. This event showcased the innovative achievements of Wenzhou-Kean University, centered around the "Langqiao" (a type of covered bridge), in facilitating the international dissemination of Wenzhou's Langqiao and supporting Wenzhou's culture development through various forms such as book translation, bilingual video creation, and discussions between Chinese and foreign experts.
A book in English titled Song of the River
Let the Langqiao culture transcend language mountains and seas
During the event, the English translation of the book Song of the River translated by teachers from Wenzhou-Kean University, was officially released to the public. The launch of this book fills a gap in English-language literature on Taishun Langqiao and builds a cross linguistic "text bridge" for spreading of Langqiao culture overseas.
The creative basis of this work comes from the in-depth research of Zhou Huacheng, a member of the Chinese Writers Association. He spent two years delving into remote villages in Taishun, meticulously recording the historical context and cultural stories of the covered bridges covering aspects such as cultural relic protection, transportation functions, the inheritance folk customs, and construction techniques.
Wenzhou-Kean University invited Dr. Elaine Ng, a teacher from English department, and Dr. Mike Igoe, an associate professor from the State University of New York, to form a professional translation team responsible for translating the English version. This translation preserves the cultural core of the "ingeniously crafted" covered bridge while using accessible language to engage international readers.
Currently, Song of the River has been placed on the shelf of the WKU Library.
Book Call Number:TG365 Z46 2023
Content | HOU Qianyan & WANG Shu
Layout | TANG Lianyi
Review | REN Yuanyuan
