The ancient buildings built with arch of wooden architecture technology in China are very earthquake resistant
the timber frame and dougong bracket are the key.
the columns are not founded deep into the stone bases, if they were, they could only break if overwhelmed by the energy of the quake, by being left free to move, they ride out the earthquake. the design secret can be summarised in one word - flexibility, the wooden parts work both as individual units and together, the DouGong acts like a shock absorber in a car, and there's both friction and rotation that absorbs the energy from the earthquake. at the same time, the heavy roof acts as counterweight, pushing down, so the flexible parts can ride the quake.
What was most surprising and key was the building can "move".
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