Timber has long been used in China to build some of the country's most magnificent works of architecture, such as the thousand-year-old Sakyamuni Pagoda at the Fogong Temple in Yingxian County of north China's Shanxi Province. So, how can we better preserve these ancient edifices and what are the challenges and hurdles facing our conservation efforts today? These are just some of the topics under discussion at the first International Conference on Ancient Wooden Architecture which opened in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Wednesday.

Among the over 400 participants attending the conference, Masato Akihara is a veteran researcher and an expert on wooden structures from Japan. Employed by the School of Architecture and Urban Rural Planning at Fuzhou University, his current focus is exploring how modern digital technology can be applied to preserving traditional dwellings in Fujian Province.  

"We are now using digital technology to create 3D models of traditional wooden buildings. This helps us better visualize their inner structures, and appreciate the wisdom and craftsmanship behind them. One of our projects is to scan and digitize some of the local buildings found in Fujian Province that date back several hundred years, in the hope of restoring them to their former glory," said Akihara.

However, conservation efforts behind some of China's other architectural heritage projects have not gone as smoothly, as Zhang Dongshan, Director of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Ancient Architecture Design and Research, explained: "Restoration presents some challenges today, particularly with certain examples of ancient architecture. These buildings consist of both wood and stone components, such as stone pillars and wooden beams, as well as bricks and cobblestones. However, modern scientific methods, such as mechanics, study them as completely separate entities. So, we have a hard time analyzing them and addressing them as a whole. The ancients certainly approached things differently."

Jointly organized by the China Wood Protection Industry Association and Chengdu's Qingyang District government, the conference aims to establish a regular exchange mechanism for professionals from around the world to share their expertise and know-how.

Liu Nengwen, Chairman of the China Wood Protection Industry Association, explained that these exchanges were not only aimed at sharing the excellence of traditional Chinese architectural culture far and wide, but should also serve as a platform to introduce advanced technologies from outside China, and from some European countries in particular.

Modern wooden construction methods have improved greatly over the millennia and traditional setbacks in issues arising from twisted or spitting wood, and natural degradation have been dramatically diminished.  

"Some countries in Europe have quite advanced skills in the design and construction of modern wooden buildings, which could be helpful with our ongoing projects dealing with the repair and restoration of traditional wooden structures. We are quite happy to become more informed about this during the conference, and undoubtedly, we can all benefit from mutual learning and cooperation with other countries," Liu added.