The recovery and conservation of a historic district post-earthquake a case study of Zhaohua in Sichuan Province in China

Abstract

This is a case study on the restoration of historic buildings in the historic town Zhaohua, which was damaged in the 5/12 Sichuan Earthquake. Based on post-earthquake investigations of damage and the restoration of historic buildings in Zhaohua, the authors described the restoration conditions of historic buildings both during and following the recovery process. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the restoration methods of historic buildings, in order to preserve the historic district after the earthquake. The authors summarize by suggesting that governments should make a restoration plan which provides for the long term (5-10 years), and focus on not only cultural properties, but also undesignated historic buildings in the historic district.