mortise-and-joint connections in remnant timber structures excavated in Hemudu Ruins, Yuyao, Zhejiang province

It is still not quite clear when mortise and joint first appeared. But there are many different kinds of mortise-and-joint connections in remnant timber structures excavated in Hemudu Ruins, Yuyao, Zhejiang province, which is over 7000 years old. It’s believed that over the following millennia the bearing system using mortise and joint gained wide popularity and become the orthodox construction theory in the country.

Timber traditionally comprises the main structure in Chinese architecture, while walls, doors and windows are not load-bearing, sometimes made of latticework, mud or other delicate material. In such a timber structure, with columns as the lower part and beams as the upper part, a middle part between columns and beams which helps eaves stretching out is extremely important. This is the special part of dougong, a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets.

Dougong