Distribution of timber structures in China and seismic damages analysis

The history of wooden architecture in China is very long. In addition to the ancient wooden structure, there are still many load-bearing wood construction preserved in the vast rural areas. These buildings are mostly without formal seismic design, so there seismic performance is poor. The earthquake damages of these buildings in previous earthquakes are more serious. People's lives and property are in great loss. The distribution of timber structures in China is presented in this paper. The timber structures in the Southwest and Northwest of China are emphatically analyzed, associated with seismic damages analysis. There are many timber structures distributed throughout the Southwest and Northwest of China, frequently stricken by the earthquake. People's lives and property are in danger. Strengthening and repairing should be employed immediately in these places.