How China Built Earthquake-Proof Palaces | Secrets Of China's Forbidden City

[@zelenplav1701]

Ancient engineering was much better than we (modern) people think. The Romans too, and other long gone civilizations.

[@ryankelly369]

Roman concrete dating back to the old Republic (hundreds of years pre-Christ) has withstood the test of time, while the best modern concrete is lucky to last more than 75-80 years.

[@My-nl6sg]

Because while we are trying to cut prices as low as it could possibly go, the monuments, temples, and palaces of the ancients are built to last

[@Xia-hu]

@@ryankelly369 well, the Roman roads did not have to bear the weight of tons of trucks going back and forth a hundred times a day. Traffic was MUCH lighter back then. Roads today simply have to withstand a lot more, and you need to add the elements to this, as well. especially winter, when roads are salted to keep ice off. It all damages concrete and asphalt. Roman roads didn't have to withstand as much.

[@ryankelly369]

@@Xia-hu Roman concrete was used in aqueducts and is *still* intact today. I'm not talking about roads. I'm talking about their concrete used for the same applications we use it for (like sewer lines).

[@darthvader5300]

Give this experiment a try. Mix 1 part lime with water until dissolved into a semi-thick liquid. At the same time mix 1 part waterglass with water until dissolved into a semi-thick liquid. Mix the two together and add the right amount of sand and gravel and add some water with common sense and logic and write down the additional amount of water you added. In the 1960s it is 1 bag of cement, 2 bags of sand, and 4 bags of gravel and add enough water until it is a semi-thick liquid which is semi-plastic and semi-liquid which can either be placed or poured with the use of POWERFUL CONCRETE VIBRATORS AND MOLD VIBRATORS. Roman concrete functions when the dissolved lime penetrates the atomic holes of the silica component which is present in the powdery fine volcanic ash and REACTS WITH IT. But this time the silica that the DISSOLVED LIME will react with WILL NOT HAVE ATOMIC HOLES FOUND IN THE SILICA COMPONENT OF VOLCANIC ASH CALLED POZZALANA BUT INSTEAD WILL REACT WITH THE EQUALLY DISSOLVED SILICA IN THE FORM OF DISSOLVED WATERGLASS KNOWN ALSO AS SODIUM SILICATE GLASS (which is also used as a glue in the 1950s and 1960s up to the early 1970s. This time the atoms and molecules of the dissolved lime with react with the atoms and molecules of the dissolved waterglass known also as sodium silicate glass or soda glass.

[@yewsoonfatt]

Ancient chinese dont use nails for building, instead, they like these traditional carentry's complicated structural joints, the design allows spaces and flexibility for the building to adapt the shockwave from earthquake. that makes it more durable and safer than pure resist. The philosphy of Yin and Yang, the beauty of balance. if we do not use the joint design that allow some flexibility, but use strong and simple joint structure with nails or gum, they wont last long, the stronger that is, the shockwave would cause more cracks on the building, then it will fall apart sooner then ppl expect.

[@bluxgrean1025]

*Precisely*

[@darthvader5300]

Tell that to you average American building lobhyists and contractors and they will shout you down before you can finish your explanations for it will give away their crimes to the American people. THAT THEY ARE ALL CHEATING AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE with their stick building codes and designs.

[@喵星-m5h]

Not only buildings, also furnitures, rarely use nails

[@7summerbeauty]

@@darthvader5300 just shut up you dumb fuck

[@ryanshannon7703]

@@7summerbeauty I know. That fool clownin'. The only push back I can imagine you getting is: 1. Cool. Where will you find so many carpenters skilled in such techniques? 2. How much money do you have? 3. When do you want this done? 4. (If "yes" to all the above), When do we start? It must be unimaginably expensive to build your everyday residential with this technique, but it would be absolutely amazing to live in such a structure!

[@dd3623]

not just earthquake ,even water flood no problem. a few years ago,Beijing was heavy rain, many areas were water flood. the Palace no problem. it has a lot of hole to let the water out.....600 years old design....

[@fengyejiajia]

Alexcantonese Wilson u knew much more than most of Chinese people.

[@maxlittle1063]

And fire proof?

[@lipangmo]

Nah it’s not fireproof. I think during one of the dynasties the main palace was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. They spent next few decade to rebuild it.

[@flungingpictures]

@@maxlittle1063 Taihe Hall 故宫太和殿 was burned down THREE times, caused by lightning strikes. All those huge copper pots in the Forbidden City were not for decoration. they contain water for firefighting. Hence you see the excessive lightning rods on ALL ancient Chinese buildings. In the winter time, the eunuchs keep a fire under the vats to prevent the water from freezing. www.flickr.com/photos/flungingpictures/16488144791/in/album-72157650705347281/

[@flungingpictures]

@@lipangmo During Qing Dynasty Tai He Hall was burned down and rebuilt THREE TIMES. These are for water for firefighting www.flickr.com/photos/flungingpictures/16488144791/in/album-72157650705347281/

[@greatfroge387]

200 earthquakes survived without any buildings falling! NONE! That's brilliant!

[@greatfroge387]

@berry more True that

[@BartolomeoColleoni94]

Not really . Italy has just as much seismic activity . Never prevented them from buildings grand masonry structures all the way from antiquity to the modern day. Earthquakes = excuse = cope

[@felixrivera895]

Oh how fascinating. I'm making a cursory study of disaster resistance in architecture for my world building. It's truly amazing how this works. It makes perfect sense of course, but the fact that it exists is still a marvel of how we as people evolve our ideas over the generations. I will most certainly be using this kind of architecture where it is necessary.

[@tictactoe101]

Yeah build yourself a forbidden palace 😎 drink tea and sing poems

[@zupermaus9276]

This also aplies to pagodas, whre there's only ever been a couple of instances of pagodas recorded being destroyed in earthquakes through thousands of years. Pagodas use a central column that runs through it, and that the whole building hangs off for stability, while being flexible (and zero nails so the wood can flex). At the top they invented the mass dampener system thousands of years ago, a heavy weight (usually a round knob of stone or crenellated metal spire) that moves at a counter to the way the rest of the column moves. This is why East Asians have traditionally used wood rather than brick or stone (other than for bases or forts) for their buildings -earthquake, flood and typhoon-proofed, but susceptible to fire. There are hundreds of pagodas that have succumbed to the latter.

[@Cephiraxite]

It also seems like the shape pointing towards extreme angles to maximize the number of tiles, stable curvature, additional ornaments and heavy earth materials are designed to maximize weight in order to stabilize the structure, like a counterbalance that pairs well with flexibility.

[@s.a.n6162]

man that thing has some nice dance moves

[@imagine_8681]

He uses Chinese traditional way of building houses with no nails style, so smart. Chinese traditional no nail building is awesome

[@zhijingchen4563]

The joint loose structure indeed was spread to Japan and Korean. But the big distinguish is, the Japanese structures does not use the technics that connects the heavy roof and bottom pillars, leading the roof of Japanese structure cannot be super heavy

[@billy.7113]

The model structure was trying to walk away from the testing platform. 😁😁

[@theshriekinghominin1760]

Beautiful and functional, just as how architecture should be.

[@AndrewManook]

Chinese are GENIUS!!

[@pasterofmuppets666]

@Pure Mrax yeah buddy just keep saying that and keep underestimate your enemy. No need to wake up just yet :p

[@java6191]

@Pure Mrax This is a joke, do you have proof? You can protect your technology through the law, but you have no evidence. It's just fake news，LOL

[@potatoraider7320]

@@java6191 what the fuck?!!! Where you from?

[@政斌-x8k]

@@java6191 yes yes, we are weak. 😂

[@04dram04]

lol not all

[@vintageb8]

Seems ancient people were a lot smarter, then somehow lost that intelligence along the way

[@hanx-musicchannel4862]

yeah until we invented the internet

[@aphextemper44]

Ancient people had no insurance and therefore no associated moral risk :)

[@marshmallow_fellow]

@@hanx-musicchannel4862 You seem to forget, the internet brought back flat earth

[@marshmallow_fellow]

We haven't lost the intelligence, we have just gotten much lazier and spend the thinking on avoiding the thinking

[@evannaallen8881]

collective PTSD and amnesia ... some are reawakening

[@Annabell-hl6vt]

I mean seriously, who doesn't think this is incredible????

[@samyoungblood3740]

The dougong looks like a real life representation of the tree of life!

[@stuchly1]

10.1!!! 10.1!!! WOW!

[@stevensunj]

Which documentary is this clip from? Thanks!

[@MrBeautz]

Secrets of China's Forbidden City, there's a link in the description

[@04dram04]

wow incredible

[@dustinbrandel59]

What if u add some super strong super stretchy material to the joints to act like ligaments for the bones? I dare say it might survive a pole shift/crustal displacement.

[@pebblekitty]

i like the way your mind works

[@dustinbrandel59]

@@pebblekitty thank u. It has its moments. I like how ur name works.

[@puppyday1350]

Many and details of the technologies of buildings from China are still alive here in Japan. Some of them were made more sophisticated in Japanese modern tall buildings. Recently, the government regulate law to use more nails, but still, we don't use many nails. Hello from Tokyo.

[@saif1002]

Ancient people are awesome.

[@pekinggeese]

China #1

[@tanme614]

this slapped the people who thought chinese are weak

[@Behinddarkness86]

The Chinese are very intelligent, their government keeps them weak though. Free thinking does not bode well in authoritarian dictatorships.

[@amezcuaist]

There is a lovely video with carpenters making these full size buildings with very rough old tools . Worth a look . Traditional Chinese House construction .

[@Fine_Mouche]

thanks to Scientips for shared this video in their Newsletter

[@momomichaelende1344]

incredible!!!

[@cherylm2C6671]

This looks like a good argument for massed timber construction, given the adhesives now available to construct better members. Incredibly stable stuff built for both natural and man-made disasters.

[@klom15thailand]

Who was an eunuch architect/design building of forbidden city?

[@loukwo9054]

Amazing and intelligent

[@manuelfaelnar4794]

Wow! Impressive!

[@flungingpictures]

重昂五踩斗拱 = multiple, raised, five-tier bracket set 單昂單翹五踩斗拱 = single, raised, single-warped, five-tiered bracket set

[@artsylovelylady]

Great job, China!

[@AlohaKavebear]

Well the palace has also been rebuilt multiple times because of fires

[@heaven-is-real]

this video is about earthquakes, not fires

[@k.3004]

Same with most pagodas in japan, but they never were wrecked by earthquakes

[@新生活-h7h]

video perfecto

[@susssyana]

Wew. Genius

[@timothyfoster4447]

Master builders, I wish my people learn to build instead of sports

[@toddkes5890]

It looked like the top of the building used it inertia and the moving platform shifted back under the roof before excess damage was caused. What would happen if the moving platform did a shift to the side so the support beams were at an angle? It looks like if there was be a lateral movement large enough that the support beams would tip over enough to send the whole structure crashing down. Does the full documentary cover this?

[@nikolasbee009]

That would be at least magnitude 12. It belongs to another book altogether. If earthquakes are producing magnitude 12s... it would be a lonely feeling to survive the quake.

[@aldenteh9412]

The building doesn't matter anymore since even life would perish with such immense magnitude.

[@1sirgrandmastermrkingrober216]

Dear Class, I have noticed an interesting similarity between Extraterrestrial spacecraft....and the mathematical, logical, scientific yet also spiritual, smart wise design(s) of/re the Ancient Chinese architecture of the Pagoda. It is strikingly similar so please research and compare the two in your studies & training....the E.T. homecraft are basically the fanciest mobile home available built to last aroaa & forever lol. It's a genius design(s) that's for sure. Yay fun thing for us to work on including in our School Project - Exodus, building giant homecraft as E.T. did thousands of years ago in the event of running out of room & enough food & shelter for/re all, on Earth for example yet Universally, due to population growth & increase.

[@timothyfoster4447]

Structure engineering

[@formula9plus]

Please build me one over here in USA today.❤💛Dr. Joe🎉

[@hohungdat8052]

Ok

[@TheletterR.]

1:11 1:23

[@deepabahl]

OMG

[@marsilingmartian239]

Unfortunately, the modern Chinese home do not incorporate the earth quake proof technology and it is going to be a disaster when a major earth quake happen.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

Marsilling, That is only true in the more modern and urbanized areas of China and Asia primary. It is not true of the country side, and many of the younger generation is looking toward natural and/or traditional building systems like this... All is not lost!! Just look at the folks reading this and thinking about it...!!!

[@黄秦羽]

Because ancient Chinese buildings need to consume a lot of land. And it's all wood structure. It is impossible to prevent fire. Japan, for example. A fire can easily destroy hundreds of houses.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

Sorry Huang Qinyu, This is not true what you are stating here at all!!! I am a Timberwright with over 40 years of experience. 1. NO...they do not consume a lot of wood, not compared to modern "stick" wood architecture and the amount it consumes. Nor do they have the impact environmentally that modern steel and concrete architecture does. These acient systems of not only your country, but globally, are some of the most enduring architecture we have still in existence with the oldest documented forms over 2000 years in age, and the undocumented pushing 7000 years... 2. NO...they are not "all wood structure" alone, as they often have brick, stone, or cobb infill and they have stone plinth foundations. Part of the reason they are resistant to tectonic events. 3. NO...again...they are actually extremely fire resistance compare to many modern building materials. As to both acient and modern modalities they can also have the wood treated (as we do) that renders them even more fire resistant. Yes...fire did destroy historically many old structures of wood. This type of urban conflagration had more to do with war, arsin, and/or what is called..."fire load"...which has more to do with what is inside a structure...NOT...what it is made of. Many of these "city fires" happened in brick buildings as well, not only because of the wood in them, but also what was in the buildings as well. Most of the modern world is still made of "wood" but today we are employing building methods that used more "stick" than timber and they are less enduring and take less skill to craft, but that is changing a lot with your generation, and you are to be commended...

[@ashleighg3126]

well said!@@JayCWhiteCloud

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

@@ashleighg3126 Thanks!!!...Some of us still build this was...more each year are seeing the "wisdom" within the traditional modalities...There just better...

[@cheslontaijitu89I98TC1]

[@JKMT]

Whats that, Puff just another earthquake

[@wildearth3992]

And Turkey can’t even do that in the 21 century lol. Just look the IQ map and you will understand

[@manjaribala3710]

Great 👍 engineering china,learn Indian government.

[@wangbural]

I dont think thats a 10

[@junjiexiang5991]

Yes it is

[@dusty_five_2]

☕

[@cheslontaijitu89I98TC1]

DCstructed.

[@davidjacobs8558]

this only applies to timber framed buildings. and this is also true with Western style timber frame buildings too. but China has tons of traditional brick buildings, even more common than timber framed buildings. Where weight bearing walls are made of bricks, but the roof structures are timber. and they are not earthquake proof at all.

[@Scandvoice]

They built them like that because they didn't have the brains nor the courage to tell the roof makers to make lighter roofs. Idiots. A roof on a single pavillion weighs tons! It's ridiculous! Aaargh! It's not fascinating. It's just plain stupid.

[@xellos5110]

the virginity is strong with this one

[@skraskraa._.5371]

In Chinese aesthetics, a big roof looks better than a small roof. I don't see how courageous it would be to tell someone to make a small roof??

[@EAT-TOM]

Made in China

[@bushidofreakz]

This, ironically, is bullseye. LMFAO

[@junjiexiang5991]

Amazing right

[@rencechannel2240]

Made in China with high quality from Imperial period.