Hands-on workshop brings ancient timberwork to life

British photographer and content creator Joe Burns assembles a dougong model at an exhibition on Liao Dynasty timber architecture in Datong, Shanxi province, on July 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Timed by a stopwatch, British photographer and content creator Joe Burns fitted one wooden component into another during a dougong assembly workshop in Datong, Shanxi province.

After correcting several mistakes, Burns completed the model independently in 14 minutes and 53 seconds. Burns said handling the individual pieces gave him a clearer understanding of how the components fit together.

The workshop was part of the 2026 Discovering Shanxi's Ancient Chinese Architecture program, jointly organized by China Daily and Shanxi Daily. The program included visits to Foguang Temple, the Hanging Temple and the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, where participants observed different examples of traditional timber construction.

Dougong is a system of interlocking wooden brackets used in traditional Chinese timber architecture. The workshop model was far simpler than the systems used in full-size buildings, but it allowed participants to examine the relationship between individual components at close range.

Burns, who also joined a cultural tour in Shanxi last year, said this year’s journey broadened his understanding of ancient timber structures. He had long hoped to visit the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda and paid particular attention to the dougong systems there and at Foguang Temple.

The East Main Hall of Foguang Temple was built in 857 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and is one of China’s oldest surviving wooden structures. Built in 1056, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is the world’s oldest and tallest surviving wooden pagoda. The Hanging Temple is a wooden temple complex built along a cliff.

The architectural details also attracted German illustrator and new media artist Anja Nolte. Her sketches focused on rooflines, dragon motifs, decorative animal figures and dougong, including a small drawing of the Hanging Temple.

For Burns, assembling the model turned an architectural feature he had observed at heritage sites into something he could understand piece by piece.