Exploring the Forgotten Yao Wind Bridges on the Guayu Ancient Trail
Fengyuqiao, a type of bridge commonly found throughout this region of Lingnan, providing shelter from wind and rain for travelers. Due to the differences in tribal cultures, the architectural cultures and architectural styles, they all vary.
I used to think this architectural symbol only existed for the Dong people. Later, I suddenly remembered the Fengyuqiao in my hometown in Guyan, which had entered my mind. So I began to explore the forgotten Guayu wind bridges scattered along the Five Ridges.
History is always a mix of light and shadow. For thousands of years, the Yao people migrated from the Central Plains to the southern wilderness, 'fearing to climb too high, fearing not to go deep,' along with their apprehension, like frightened birds. They sought a peaceful and stable home along the way.
Between the Five Ridges, there are many rivers and streams, and the gaps between mountains and valleys are even more densely covered with river networks, especially in the Guyan area of northern Guangxi, where river networks are abundant, with gentle hills and valleys, which have long been a natural passage through the Lingnan and Beiling regions. The Yao people living here learned to build bridges and boats as early as the 'migration of nations,' and the convenient passage through the Five Ridges also allowed the Yao people's bridge-building technology to be integrated with other ethnic group's architectural cultures.
Highland Yao and Plain Yao, one distinguishes them based on their residence location and the degree of acceptance of Han culture. Plain Yao is more numerous and has accepted more Han culture. The villages where they live are almost indistinguishable from the ancient Han villages in Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan architectural features that are more common in Yao wind bridges tell a story of a nation constantly trying to put aside hostility and constantly working to reconcile with the nation that had exiled their ancestors. It is a historical narrative of integration.
Yao wind bridges are a reflection of the Yao people's enthusiasm for traffic and their rustic folk customs. The wind bridges built by the Yao people are often built on rivers and streams far from villages and at crucial passages, even on narrow, dry channels in fields or villages. The wind bridges are always present.
Whenever distant travelers trek along ancient trails in fields and streams, the wind bridges dotting the landscape act like lighthouses, guiding travelers towards 'home',
'A sense of peace and safety is home.' The Yao people's wind bridges combine the architectural features of the Central Plains and Jiangnan, allowing travelers from the northern Central Plains or Jiangnan to find a sense of homecoming, because the Yao people deeply understood the pain of migration,
'A bridge is a wonderful thing, and it reflects not only the shape and internal space of the bridge itself. You can interpret a lot from the bridge – the local culture, the economic and social development of a place, and we can glean from the bridges the history and the eternal.'
