在闽南，有一座几乎被世界遗忘的村落——下石村，清风秀水，民风淳朴。村子中心有两个圆形土楼，一大一小，中间横跨一条小溪，而溪水上方横亘着一座桥上书屋，成了连接两座土楼的“交通枢纽”。

In the south of Fujian Province lies an isolated village called Xiashi Village where the people are simple and honest and the scenery is beautiful. Between the village there are two earthen round buildings, between which there is a bridge bookstore just above a brook.

桥上书屋，是一座由清华大学建筑学院李晓东教授带领学生设计的一座“桥上图书馆”。据传闻，旧时村里的两个土楼家族互为仇敌，遂划渠为界，互不往来。土楼这种独特的集合式住宅是客家聚落历史上的宗族中心文化，有着强烈的内向防御性。这种内向的传统文化积淀给整座村留下了安静的韵味和丰厚的文化遗产，同时也影响着整座村落每家每户封闭的格局。

Bridge Bookstore is designed by Li Xiaodong, who is the professor of Qinghua University. It’s said that there were two families who were enemies of each other so they digged a river as the boundary line from disturbing. This unique architecture of earthen building is the settlement center of hakka in the history of the clan culture, where there is the strong defensive introversion. This traditional culture left a quiet charm and rich cultural heritage to the whole village, but also leads to the closed pattern of the entire village household.

正因为此，李晓东教授便萌生了一个想法，他要建造一座跨越溪水的书屋，让知识连接起两座土楼村民的信任和沟通。

This is the reason why there came the idea from Li Xiaodong to build a bridge bookstore to connect the trust and communication of the villagers by knowledge.

年逾七旬的老石，是这座桥书屋的管理员。谈起和李晓东教授的相识，以及桥上书屋的建造过程，他仍然记忆犹新。老石说李晓东有一个桥上书屋的设计构想，一直在寻觅合适的场地，而他的学生恰好是平和县人，2007年的一次旅行让他觉得，此地就是他苦苦寻觅之处。李晓东经过实地考察后边和学生一起着手设计，历时一年，这座桥上书屋建成。

It’s still clear in his memory when he met Li Xiaodong and the process of building this bookstore. He said that Li Xiaodong got an idea about building a bookstore like this but hadn’t got a good place. While his student is from Pinghe County where was the right place for his idea. Then for the next whole year he studied and designed with his students to work on this bridge bookstore.

桥上书屋问世后不久即获得世界六大最著名建筑奖之一的“阿迦汗”建筑奖，而后被英国《卫报》评为全球8大环保建筑之一，可谓蜚声国际。而这座曾经寂寂无名的闽南山村一时间也名声鹊起，前来一睹书屋的人也络绎不绝。看来，这座桥上书屋不仅连接了两座土楼，也连接了更大的世界。

Bridge Bookstore shortly won the most famous architectural award prize for "the aga khan", and then by the British guardian rated as one of the world eight green buildings which achieved international success. This once anonymous village now has been well-known that attracts numerous people to visit. It seems that this bridge bookstore not only connected the two buildings but also bigger worlds.

老石说，桥上书屋除了各类书籍可供借阅，还会不定期举办木偶戏等娱乐节目，无论是村中年迈老者，抑或是牙牙学语的婴儿，甚至是刚刚务农归来的村民，都可以在这小小的空间享受片刻的轻松和愉悦。

Shi said that in there not only various books are available but also rich activities for both the young and the old to have a leisure time in their busy life.

对下石村的村民来说，桥上书屋的建成不仅为他们的往来提供了便利，更重要的是，满足了他们对阅读和求知的渴望。而看着书屋一天天发展起来的老石，更是对这座桥上书屋充满了独特的情感，如今，他已经在这座桥梁上当了6年的管理员，自觉责任之重，心中也期盼着自己的下一代能继续守护好这座桥梁。

For the villagers there, this bookstore provides great convenience but more about satisfying them with the fulfillment of knowledge. And the old man Shi, who has been seeing this store growing, is full of particular sentiment to it. Today, it’s been six years here which gives him a lot of obligations. He wishes that there would be people of the next generation to protect it with heart and soul.

人们常说，两点之间直线最短。但其实人与人之间，沟通最长。桥上书屋把一片土地上的两个世界，用最短的直线，打破了最长的沟通。空间距离的连通，心理围墙的拆除，既是当地村民的福祉，也是建造者的福报。

People always say that the shortest distance between two points is the straight line. However, between people, the gap is the longest. The Bridge Bookstore has broken the longest gap using the shortest line. The connection of space has torn down the fence in mind, which is the best blessing of the local villagers as well as the designers and builders.

撰稿：心尘，译者：尚小桦