Bulletin No. 1, 2013

14 Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 2013 Completion and Opening Wu Zhi Qiao bridges are not known for being fancy, and for a good reason. To quote the leader of this project, student Wan Li , ‘The best design uses the simplest method to solve the problem. The idea is not to add more, but to pare down, retaining only what’s most suitable and necessary.’ Yet the bridge’s modest appearance belies the meticulous thought that went into it. For example, the hand railing comes in two heights—a lower one for children on one side, and a higher one for grown-ups on the other. Consideration was also given to villagers using shoulder poles to carry heavy goods. If they put the pole on the shoulder near the lower side, the goods will swing clear of the railing. An opening ceremony was held for the bridge on 7 May 2013. From daybreak, the walls of the adobe houses were plastered with red-with-black- calligraphy ‘thank you’ slogans while banners graced the roads. The usually quiet village was vibrant as villagers and students wielding multi-coloured flags gathered at the ends of the bridge, and a ‘lion’ pranced to the beats of gong and drum. The ceremony was officiated by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, and Prof. Wu Baoke , deputy registrar of Peking University, etc. After cutting the ribbon and unveiling the memorial column, the villagers flocked to the bridge and the pavilion to experience these new landmarks of Dangzheng Village. A Buddhist poem says, ‘When people cross the bridge, the bridge flows, the water is still.’ Why does the bridge flow and not the water? Well, Buddhist wisdom can be cryptic at times, but so is the name Wu Zhi Qiao. How can a 30-metre bridge be endless (note: wu zhi means endless)? What’s infinite is not the physical object, but the love, care and kindness it signifies.