"They had to visit veteran craftsmen and collect old photos in their efforts to restore the historical traces of the complex," Yuan says.
Based on research of the earthquake damage and the structural features of the palace, the team moved to reinforce the building.
This was done by means of adding material that aids the structure's ability to absorb shock. This material is put inside nodes placed at specific junctions around the building.
This enabled them to improve the complex's quake resistance with minimal intervention. The Chinese team also got a patent in China for the use of this advanced technology.
In addition, as the complex had numerous fine and exquisite wooden structures and sculptures, the team used as many original components as possible and all the damaged carvings in the elaborate windows were restored.
About 85 percent of the old wooden components were repaired and assembled in the original location during the project, while around 3,700 pieces of wooden components were newly built as supplementary parts for the project. The more old wooden components were applied, the less historical information was lost.
