As we all know, China has a long history and profound cultural heritage, and its unique architectural craftsmanship and magnificent artistic atmosphere are well-known all over the world.
Among them, the ancient buildings with wooden construction as the main feature have become an eternal memory through time and space.
However, in the context of such an era, we can't help but ask:In ancient times, lightning rods were not invented, so many wooden buildings, why did lightning seem to make a detour to avoid the destruction of these precious heritages?
Ancient Chinese buildings were mostly built of wood, and the unique texture and construction method of this material make the building as a whole present distinctive Chinese characteristics.
However, over time, some of the wooden ancient buildings have been gradually eroded by the years. Today, we can see many ancient buildings that have survived the centuries of wind and rain and are still well preserved, but the conservation work behind this is greatly underestimated.
How to scientifically protect these precious assets is the real challenge we are facing.
First of all, we need to realize that insect control, ant control and embalming are only basic measures for the protection of ancient buildings. To truly protect these monuments from damage, or even from sudden fires caused by thunderstorms, we need to think more deeply about ways to avoid natural disasters. Here we have to mention an important factor - the strategy of the ancients to defend against lightning strikes. To answer this question, we first need to understand how lightning strikes work and what consequences they can have.
Although there was no technical means to prevent lightning strikes in ancient times, the ancients made full use of the natural environment and cleverly designed a series of devices to prevent lightning strikes. The main principle of these devices is to direct lightning to the ground by directing an electric current, so as to prevent lightning from acting directly on the building.
For example, ancient people planted wet moss plants on roofs and covered the roof surface with sand and gravel to form an insulating layerThey also built a timber frame on top of this, so that the current can be easily dispersed, reducing the risk of damage to the internal power supply system.
In addition, they placed objects such as copper porcelain jars above the eaves to attract the electric charges on the electric field lines of lightning to the ground, so as to prevent them from directly damaging the building.
Lightning can be divided into four categories: direct lightning, induced lightning, lightning shear wave intrusion and spherical lightning.
Among them, direct lightning and ball lightning are often the two forms that pose the greatest threat to ancient buildings, because they are particularly fond of wooden structures.
Direct lightning strikes are caused by rapid lightning that comes into direct contact with trees and produces electrical dischargeBall mines, on the other hand, are able to sneak into the room along the cracks in the wood, causing a violent **.
For the ancient ancestors, the concept of thunder and lightning was more likely to be regarded as a symbol of the mysterious five powers, whose attributes belonged to the "fire" element. For example, chapters 21 and 51 of the classical Chinese book Zhou Yi, the crystallization of human wisdom, compare thunder and lightning to fire and thunder, emphasizing that they represent severe punishment.
Therefore, ancient architects often used the Five Elements Doctrine as the basis to carve patterns on the roof, such as dragons and moires, which symbolize "water can restrain thermal power", so as to give the building a special meaning.
Of course, although this symbol of goodwill has a beautiful meaning, it is only a splendid embellishment on the basis of basic lightning protection measures, and the key to truly and effectively preventing lightning strikes lies in the technical means implemented at the practical level.
Modern lightning rods are clever use of conductive wires and drain ground nets to guide lightning currents to achieve the purpose of preventing lightning strikes, but in fact, as early as the Han Dynasty, our country or inventors have explored a similar method of lightning rod operation principle - although the understanding of scientific principles is not clear, but its effect is impeccable.
There is a record in the "Romance of the Su Family" compiled by Su Yi of the Tang Dynasty: the Bailiang Hall built during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, at that time, there was a ** to the upward admonition, and a kind of South China Sea mythical beast "Chi" was proposed, it is said that the tail of the Chi is especially good at plucking the water flow, if a Chi tail is installed at the top of the palace roof, it may be able to resist fire.
Peng Cheng's "Moke Waving the Rhino" also records: "Since the Tang Dynasty and its predecessors, it has become a widespread practice to install a tail or an owl tail on the top of houses and bridges." The owl referred to in the article is actually a different design form of the ancient lightning rod.
It is often placed near the junction of the main ridge and the vertical ridge of the roof ridge, or on both sides of the main ridge, with a metallic tail, and the inside is stuffed with iron wire or copper products, which can play an important role in guiding the lightning current into the ground through a good connection with the ground.
These fishtail-shaped devices gradually developed into what came to be known as "Owl Kiss" and "Kissing Beast".
The shape of the owl kiss is varied, not limited to the image of the dragon, but also covers the dragon, phoenix, lion, heavenly horse, seahorse, fox, fish, pig, bullfight and other images, all of which contain the auspicious signs of fire prevention, water assistance, lightning protection, both beautiful and practical.
The peak of the popularity of the owl kiss device was after the completion of the Forbidden City. According to the historical records of the "History of the Ming Dynasty" and the "Ming Shilu", it can be seen that in the Ming Dynasty alone, the magnificent Forbidden City suffered no less than 16 serious lightning strikes and fire accidents. Due to the frequent fires, these palace buildings needed more lightning protection devices.
In addition to the shape of the owl's kiss, the craftsmen even made ingenious improvements to it and applied it to the treasure top of the palaceLightning protectionThe facility is hidden in the roof and roof truss, and can guide lightning at a high place, and direct the current to the ground through the internal equipment.
Let's take a look at those ancient temples and pagodas, how the mysterious Tasha skillfully performs lightning protection skills!
This technique has the same magical effect as the tail - "Tasha Lightning Elimination".
As everyone knows, the tower brake is actually located at the top of the pagoda, the most conspicuous unique ornament, its structure is very complex, including the brake seat, brake body, brake top and brake lever. There are many common forms of tasha, such as phase wheels, vases and gourd typesThere are many materials used, among which iron is widely used.
The wonderful thing is that although both are lightning protection devices, there are differences. Some towers are void from the top of the tower to the ground, and there is no conductor to direct electricity. Why does this kind of tower brake realize the lightning elimination function?
It turns out that they gently resist lightning hitting the iron tower, and then generate a strong voltage and current, which attracts each other to the lightning field in the surrounding air space, so as to achieve the magical effect of eliminating the impact of lightning strikes.
However, most of the tower is designed to resemble a miniature version of a lightning rod: an iron rod runs through the tower, and the surrounding decorations such as rings, crescents, orbs, etc., are reinforced by several fixed iron cables. This exquisite design is like an ancient "flash rod", which perfectly integrates the beauty and practicality of the tower brake.
In addition, the wisdom of Chinese civilization is also embodied in the Shakya Pagoda in Shuozhou County, Shanxi, and the Cishi Pagoda on the shore of Dongting Lake in Hunan.
When it comes to ancient lightning protection skills, we must not avoid the topic of Lei Gongzhu. If it is said that the tail is specially built for the royal palace or luxury mansion, and the Tasha adapts to the unique flavor of the pagoda, then the Lei Gongzhu has undoubtedly become a real versatile weapon, and it can be "recreational" everywhere. Whether it is the pavilions, the yamen official mansion, or the archway in the streets and alleys, you can see the figure of Lei Gongzhu.
At first glance, you may feel that it is not so eye-catching—the overall form is short and concise, often standing on the elevated archway, or on the main pillar where several pillars on the roof intersect. It is worth noting that they do not use ordinary wood, but precious tree species such as nanmu and pine with superior electrical conductivity.
If you look closely, you can often see that a metal needle has been inserted into the cylinder, and the inner end is upward to communicate with the sky, like a dragon's mouth swallowing clouds and spitting mistThe outer end is connected to the earth, and in this way, it takes on the mission of conducting electricity, like a dragon ball with an open mouth. The ancients believed that it was the work of the dragon king to cast the rain of thunder and lightning, so the Lei Gong Zhu was also revered as a symbol of the protection of the gods - the "dragon town" device.
The historic Hall of Prayer, the majestic Temple of Heaven, these great ancient buildings all have the ingenious contribution of Lei Gongzhu. Especially in the prayer hall of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Lei Gongzhu is located at the core of the treasure top above the main hall. In ancient times, could thunder and lightning damage the Hall of Prayer and even be regarded as a sign of the gods considering the merits of the human emperor?
Thankfully, the powerful effects of the Thunderbolt are instrumental in preventing lightning strikes and supporting the building structure. For example, in August 1987, the Jingyang Palace in the Forbidden City suffered severe lightning damage and caused a fire, which continued to burn for three hours, but only a quarter of the diameter of the Lei Gong Pillar in the center of the combustion was lost, and the main load-bearing parts of the hall were damaged within five centimeters. Only the roof of Jingyang Palace was seriously affected.
This fully proves that Lei Gongzhu is not only the key to lightning protection, but also the primary guardian to ensure the safety and stability of buildings.
According to historical records, the ancient people were very clever and not only limited themselves to renovating the structure of buildings, but also cleverly adopted strategies to reduce damage by dealing with the lightning phenomenon itself.
Thunder and lightning are known to be caused by ice crystals in clouds, water droplets, and the weight formed by the movement of air. Due to the potential difference between this positive and negative loads, when a certain value is reached, a luminous discharge, known as lightning, is generated. At the same time, the blazing lightning causes the air to expand violently and the "** effect" occurs, resulting in the thunderous sound we often hear. In this way, if thunder and lightning are compared to the catharsis of some kind of emotion, then there must be a carrier to withstand these complex forces.
For example, if the response method of buildings such as "lightning pillars" is to artificially reduce the damage caused by lightning, then when lightning actually hits the ground, it usually tends to directly impact those things with "special shapes", such as trees, mountain peaks and even huge rocks, and then guide lightning to the ground through these objects, this phenomenon is called "passive lightning cancellation" or more appropriately "natural lightning cancellation".
Trees, peaks and rocks have their unique conductive properties, and when they are hit by intense lightning, they produce corona current-like phenomena that gradually release the absorbed charge in a relatively gentle way.
They are also "loved" by the god of thunder and lightning due to the presence of certain trace elements in nature that can easily accumulate electrical charges, such as stones on riverbeds, soil in mines, and unique geological environments such as swamps. It is worth mentioning that the good ecological environment and suitable soil geological characteristics have in fact quietly assumed the "responsibility" of nature to protect the building from lightning strikes.
It is said that the famous Wutai Mountain in Shanxi Province has rarely been struck by lightning for many years, not only because of its superior ecological environment and geographical location, but also because most of the temples in Wutai Mountain are located in dense forests, verdant cliffs, streams and water sources.
Because it is full of tall and straight trees, the mountains rise into the sky, and the surrounding water is everywhere, and the trees are tall and steep. During a thunderstorm, these tall trees and steep mountains are the first to attract the attention of lightning, thus sheltering the building from the wind and rain and avoiding the risk of lightning strikes.
Similarly, the reason why the Shakya Pagoda standing in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province rarely suffers from "terrifying" lightning strikes cannot be ignored: first, the tower is a spectacular iron ancient temple;Second, the surrounding environment of the tower is indispensable. First of all, there is a very large layer of soil under the base of the tower, which makes the resistivity of the soil extremely low.
Secondly, there are many water sources nearby.
Because of these characteristics, when lightning strikes, the gods of thunder and lightning do not only care about the buildings in front of them, but instead usually prioritize the surrounding environment with lower resistivity, thus helping the wooden tower successfully avoid the impact of the thunder fury.
Relying on the natural environment to combat lightning stress is a passive way for buildings to resist lightning strikes, but careful decision-making in the selection of building materials demonstrates a proactive lightning strike prevention strategy.
Since ancient times, the main material of ancient buildings has been wood, because wood tends to be insulating and does not easily conduct electricity. In addition, most of the ancient buildings are built on a solid and stable brick foundation, which not only allows the current to flow smoothly into the soil, but also ensures that the water in the soil is effectively isolated, keeping the surrounding environment dry and insulating.
However, due to the nature of wood, it can easily become wet when it is moistened by rain, which improves its electrical conductivity.
To solve this problem, the craftsmen of ancient wisdom invented various new building materials. For example, according to the Jingzhou Chronicles written by Sheng Hongzhi, a famous scholar in the Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Fan Chong, a famous scholar from Huyang County, built a huge stone house for her to live in in order to protect his mother from thunder and lightning.
Over time, later craftsmen further improved their craftsmanship, and those from relatively wealthy families were more willing to experiment with high-end decorative materials such as glazed tiles, ceramics, and special copper metal tiles.
The world-famous Wudang Mountain "Thunder Fire Refining Palace" is built with these high-grade materials, which can be called a peak of China's lightning protection technology, this technology not only successfully realizes the lightning protection effect, but also shows the world a breathtaking magnificent landscape.
First of all, the geographical location of Wudang Mountain has excellent climatic conditions for the accumulation of electric charges and the formation of thunder and lightning cloudsSecondly, the tiles and part of the construction materials of the temple are cast from copper, and stand on the top of the higher Wudang Peak, as if shrouded in a huge metal shield.
Since the top of the temple was completely separated from the ground, although the lightning struck the tiles, it could not continue to move forward, and could only roll back and forth on the gilded roof.
The copper material shines under the light of the fireball, as if thunder and lightning are forging this solemn palace, and thus won the magical reputation of "Thunder and Fire Refining Palace".
In his 1968 travel essay "New Things in China", the famous French traveler Dema Ganlan, who had traveled to many countries, recorded that the Chinese owl kiss was a special lightning protection device, about 70 years before Alexander Francis Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod.
To sum up, although we cannot deny that the ancient Chinese people have not yet fully understood some of the so-called laws of nature, they have accumulated valuable experience from practical life and architectural practice through in-depth observation and ** of nature, and have taken the initiative to put their craftsmanship into practice.
This persistent spirit makes ancient Chinese architecture have a unique charm, which is both practical and full of aesthetic value, showing the ingenuity and creativity of the Chinese nation.