I am completing a book on China's Covered Bridges and have visited most of them in Yunnan (and throughout China).

I am searching for OLD photographs of these bridges, and welcome any leads anyone can provide. Thanks.

For some information about me www.amazon.com/Ronald-G.-Knapp/e/B001HD2YE4

Hi Ronald,

You should get in touch with Jim Goodman, he has pictures of a lot of these that he took himself from the 1990s through early 2000s.

As far as older ones go, he has published a number of books on the province some of which almost certainly include older images which he could provide. (Likely including the one near Baoshan.)

I also have a collection of old Yunnan photographs and other imagery and could provide you with a French era (~1900) black and white of one in southeast Yunnan.

Jim's website which has his email: blackeagleflights.blogspot.hk/

Or just email me and I'll put you in touch with him. My email: walter at the domain name of the website pratyeka.org/

I have a few images of covered bridges from ~2001 onward, but also photographs of some old photos. Unfortunately they would take me a long time to dig up and I don't have time right now. I would suggest contacting the various prefectural museums for additional assistance (eg. Dali, Baoshan, Kunming, Jianshui, Mengzi/Honghe). There is also a private museum in Tengchong which would likely be of use.

A copy of the finished book would be appreciated.

Hey profny, when you say most of them, how many would that be? Just asking out of curiosity how many are left of them. Maybe your book will provide insight in how many there were as well, or maybe you can share some info on this here? Or make an article, how are they doing, are they properly taken care of, or demolished by the year.

Maybe you know, the French took plenty of photographs in Yunnan. Some of those wind&rain bridges have been photographed in old days and some show up on old postcards and such. You can search though delcampe for example.

I got some on jpg files, you can get in touch with private message function.

And do these bridges have different characters in different areas? Most likely they do, take Guangxis and Guizhous bridges as an example. But were Yunnan bridges unique in any way, or did they get influence from north, such as Han architecture did?

This is such an interesting topic, apart from the book, Im sure many of us here would be delighted by an article as well.

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Then a few more sugggestions. By "googling" Chinese search engines - and Western as well - and by writing the Chinese name for the (old) bridge can bring up old photos. Even better with old name, if thats available, places in Yunnan change names every three decades or so.

Also, quite a few of the provincial

localities have collections of old photographs concerning their areas as well. Not long ago e.g. Anning was collecting old photos of their old pagodas and bridges. And there are Chinese books on this topic as well. A good way to gt things forward faster, is getting to know, or simply by hiring, a Chinese journalist. They know where to pull out this stuff in China. But they only got little clue about West, and theres a lot old photos of China and Yunnan in West as well. Maybe even more than in China.

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Did you check the books written by Western explorers and missionaries already? Lots of photographs there too, to dig out. Joseph Rock, R.F Johnson, W.E. Geil, G.E. Morrison.... (the list could go on very long).

Thanks so much, voltaire and Petergg, for your quick responses. I certainly fill follow up with Jim Goodman, whose website is quite interesting. I read Chinese and have done deep searches and have come up with some very good old images. There are two French postcards that I'm trying to obtain but delcampe sold them a long time ago (only a poorer one still available) Will continue to check that site. I have gone through most, if not all, of the old books by French, English, and Americans who traveled in SW China and have some good images.

My sense is that there still are French postcards that will surface. We've visited close to 30 covered bridges in Yunnan, probably the most important ones, but clearly have missed some because of time.

The cantilevered covered bridges in Yunnan have some specific structural components NOT seen elsewhere in China. We are still examining the mechanical aspects of these additional components. While we have talked with carpenters who are still constructing covered bridges in eastern China, we have not yet located any in Yunnan.

Welcome your additional comments and leads.

My email address is knappr@newpaltz.edu if you wish to respond off-line. Thanks.