A dreadful quake, which shook Southwest China’ Sichuan Province on May 12, took a heavy toll on human life and many quake-stricken towns were ripped down to debris. However, some age-old wood structures fortunately survived this catastrophic disaster, highlighting the aseismatic behavior of this traditional Chinese architectural model.

The wood structures which survived the terrible quake in Sichuan are not alone. Taking a glimpse at ancient Chinese buildings, you’ll find many ancient wood structures across the country that used to encounter deadly tremors still remain safe and sound today. Two typical examples are Dule Temple in Tianjin City and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Shanxi Province.

Dule Temple in Tianjin City

Dule Temple in Tianjin City

Dule Temple is more than 1,000 years old and consists of a complex of grand structures. Its main building, a two-storied wooden pavilion named Guanyinge, was so well designed that it has withstood the test of up to 28 earthquakes and remains intact to this day. It’s recorded that Guanyinge was the only building which survived an 8-magnitude earthquake in 1679. And in 1976, it remained untouched when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Tangshan, a city not far from Tianjin, and claimed a heavy death toll.