The severely damaged Glutinous Rice Bridge in Nantou's Kuohsin Township (國姓鄉) got a new lease on life yesterday when Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) visited the site and urged local officials to preserve the famous structure.
"This bridge is our historical relic and it is a miracle that it still exists today after so many natural disasters," the premier said. "We must try our best to recover it, renovate it and restore it."
The Glutinous Rice Bridge was completed in 1940. It takes its name from the fact that glutinous rice, lime and sugar were used as construction materials instead of metals. The bridge has survived through all kinds of natural disasters, including three floods and the devastating 921 Earthquake, but it has been unusable since flooding after last summer's Tropical Storm Mindulle washed parts of it away.
Hsieh initially asked local officials to try to preserve the remains of the bridge as they are now instead of repairing it, but Kuohsin Township Warden Lee Tseng-chuan (李增全) disagreed with that plan.
If repairs are not made, "The bridge will be naturally and gradually washed away and will probably be gone forever if flooded again," Lee said.
According to Nantou County's Bureau of Cultural Affairs, a blueprint for the renovation of the bridge will be completed by the end of next month and construction will begin in December at the earliest.
Nantou officials said that the bridge is easily flooded because its design did not include enough sluiceways to carry away water. Therefore the first thing technicians and architects will do is dig more sluiceways near the bridge, as repairs are conducted simultaneously.
The project will cost an estimated NT$25 million (US$789,000). Hsieh could not promise to provide that budget yesterday, but said he would support the proposal when it is submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
"In addition to its initial purpose of transportation, the bridge is also a scenic attraction in Nantou and attracts many Japanese tourists every year," the premier said. "This bridge is a miracle in the history of Taiwan's architecture -- as evidenced by the fact that it's still standing after being hit by so many natural disasters."
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