Status investigation and damage analysis of the dougong under the external eaves of the main hall of Chuzu Temple in the Shaolin Temple Complex

Chuzu Temple is one of the buildings in the historical architectural complex in “The Center of Heaven and Earth” in Dengfeng County. It is more than 800 years old. Currently, various kinds of damage can be found in the Chuzu Temple main hall. For more applicable conservation and renovation of the building, the status of the dougong (斗拱) under the external eaves of the Chuzu Temple main hall was investigated. Additionally, the existing types of damage and their causes were statistically analyzed to provide a practical reference for structural performance evaluations and protection reinforcement of the extant structure. According to the investigation results, 50.8% of the dougong members under the external eaves of the main hall had different types of damage. The main types of damage included detachment, plucking, holes, cracking, crushing, separation, and missing parts. The main causes were mechanical damage, bioerosion, and material degradation. Additionally, the study revealed that Larix sp., Ulmus sp., Quercus sp., and Populus sp. were the wood species used in the restoration to replace the antiquated wood.