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Ancient Wooden Structures Brave the

Quakes

Monday, April 29, 2013 | BY: ALICIA ZHANG (张张张

)

After experiencing the 7.0 earthquake in Ya’an, Sichuan Province, on 20th April, one

house, over a hundred years old, is still standing strong. The Zhang’s Courtyard House

( 家大院张 Zhāng Jiā Dàyuàn), is in the southeast of Gucheng Village, Lushan

County,Ya’an City, Sichuan Province. This traditional two-floor timber-frame buildingwas built during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi (1862-1875) in the Qing Dynasty. The

costly earthquake claimed nearby homes, some cracked, others collapsed completely. But

this century old home survived with only a few tiles askew.

Seven families now live in that Courtyard House, all emanating from the family tree of 

88-year-old He Yuzhen. Before the earthquake, five of those families had moved to newhomes, but the earthquake has forced them back. The family live together, without worry

about the quality of the house. The quiet life of the countyard is a stark contrast to the

destruction and devastation outside.

According to a report from the Beijing News, on June 10th, 2008, Ya’an began a

reconstruction project and declared that the houses could endure a 7.0 magnitude

earthquake. Only five years later, these houses are nearly all badly damaged.

This has caused many to wonder if traditional timber buildings might be the safest way toresit quakes. Traditional Chinese timber buildings are often built on a brick or stone

foundation with column bases and support beams. Roofs include purlines, rafters andsheathings, and above where are loess-lime lay and tiles. The timber-frame is the mainsupport system the the buildings, a frame made of vertical columns and horizontal beams

For some of the more modern buildings, there are brackets linking the columns and

 beams.

 

Avalokitesvara Pavilion in Dule temple 张张张张张张张张张张

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Dule Temple (张张张 Dúlè Sì) is a representative work of ancient Chinese wooden

architecture, and its superb architectural style helped it endure many intense earthquakes.

Avalokitesvara Pavilion (张张张 Guānyīn Gé张in Dule Temple in Ji County, Tianjin were

 built in 984 A. D. Avalokitesvara Pavilion is 20 meters wide and its three floors reach as

high as 23 meters, and this wonder has withstood more than 30 major earthquakes, 4 of which were above 6.5 in magnitude.

During the 8.0 earthquake in Tangshan in 1976, Avalokitesvara Pavilion, only dozens of 

kilometers from the epicenter, the frame was heard cracking, but, in the end, it stayed up.

Some witnesses claim the roof moved two meters horizontally and still stood strong.Since the quake, the roof has kept that positioning. Inspections found that only the plaster 

over the timber-frame was damaged, along with an iron bar connecting the columns of 

the Avalokitesvara Pavilion. Other minor problems were found, but the building hasstood as the test of history since.

 

Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, Shanxi Province 张张张张张张张张张张

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Sakyamuni Pagoda (张张张 Shìjiā Tǎ张 is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056. The

 pagoda, which survived several large earthquakes throughout the centuries, reached a

level of such fame within China that it has been given the generic nickname of the

“Muta” (张张, literally, Timber/Wooden Pagoda).

The pagoda stands on a 4.4-meter tall stone platform, has a 10 meter-tall steeple, and

reaches a total height of 67.31 meters. It is the oldest existing fully wooden pagoda still

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standing in China. This Muta is in the Datong Basin seismic belt, after 200 years standing

strong, it suffered an earthquake and aftershocks for seven consecutive days. The nearby

houses all collapsed but Muta stayed. Since then it has seen other large earthquakes butseems incapable of collapse.

There are a few reasons the Pagoda is so resistant. For example, it is an octagon, helpingit to resist twists generated by seismic disturbances. Also, its 4.4-meter solid base acts as

a raft to keep it floating above the quake, all supporting the 1,300 tons of the earthquakeitself.

The whole system effectively resists rotation and collapse, with the pillars and cylindrical

frame taking the strain.

While the history of these buildings is certainly impressive, the greatest treasure theyhold is in their durability And in that, the lessons they can teach future engineers and city

 planners are a valuable inheritance indeed.