Beijing's Forbidden City is a place full of wonders. From its thousands of rooms to its many beautiful artifacts, it's no wonder it is one of China's most popular scenic (spot).But even more than 600 years after it (build), it's still managing to serve up surprises.
The Forbidden City draws visitors because of its rich history and (culture) significance, but perhaps it should add one more thing to its list of attractions: earthquake shelter. While most structures aren't made (survive) natural disasters, the Forbidden City seems to withstand anything.
To show how strong the ancient Chinese architecture really is, model of one of the Forbidden City's palaces was put to the test. It survived a simulated(模拟的) earthquake of 9.5 on the Richter scale—equal to the (1arge)ever recorded quake. Instead of falling apart, the model was just moved gently during the test.
According to experts, the key the Forbidden City's strength, as well as other ancient Chinese structures, (lie)in dougong (斗栱)—a centuries-old building method invented in China. Ancient Chinese craftsmen created structures were both enduring(耐用)and elegant, (show)their advanced understanding of mathematics, architecture, materials, and structural science.
