Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the woven arch bridge, a rather extraordinary structural form, rare in human history. Everywhere they appear, they are considered as an unusual or even one-of-a-kind creation, and yet, they appeared in multiple different spaces and times in adapted forms, in parallel and independently. Unique yet universal, the existence of woven arch bridges in all these different cultures is an unparalleled phenomenon in building history. The book consists of three stories from three different cultures. Each story is about woven arch bridges and covers a large span of time and/or space. The first spans from Ancient Rome to Renaissance Italy; the second recounts an overseas journey from Japan to the United States; and the third covers the entire academic life of a Chinese scholar. The largest number of woven arch bridges is found in the mountains of Southeast China.