Thought you MEs might like to see this

[phinds]

TL;DR

Stability of Chinese wooden joints under earthquake conditions

They took a model of one of the buildings in the Forbidden City and subjected it to loads equivalent all the way up to 10 on the Richter scale. Brick siding collapsed to rubble but the wooden structure was untouched.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...A4DEA5805A484E841219A4D&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

 

[jrmichler]

All those wood joints add structural vibration damping, so the structure does not have a strong resonance, which helps to reduce the peak forces.

 

[Baluncore]

Regional building technology has evolved over thousands of years to survive in the local environment. Tents blow away in the wind. Wooden buildings burn. Brick buildings collapse in earthquakes.
There will be a good reason why the traditional design has survived the tests of time.