The Twin Pagodas of Zayton: The Zenith of Song Dynasty Stone Construction and Earthquake-Resilient Engineering
Can you imagine two stone towers surviving a Magnitude 8.0 earthquake? No reinforced concrete. Just granite. Built 800 years ago, without computers or formulas for structural mechanics — relying only on the hands and eyes of craftsmen. The Twin Pagodas of Quanzhou’s Kaiyuan Temple — Zhenguo and Renshou — did exactly that. On December 29, 1604, a Magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Quanzhou Bay. Countless houses inside and outside the city collapsed. Even the government office buildings were destroyed. But the two stone pagodas stood amid the ruins, unmoved. Not luck. Design. ...