page_title: Dougong
hierarchical_section_title: Dougong
caption_attribution_description: English: Yungang Grottos cave 9 dougong 中文: 云岗石窟第9窟北魏斗拱
context_page_description: Dougong is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture.
  The use of dougong first appeared in buildings of the late centuries BC and evolved into a structural network that joined pillars and columns to the frame of the roof. Dougong was widely used in the ancient Chinese during the Spring and Autumn period and developed into a complex set of interlocking parts by its peak in the Tang and Song periods. The pieces are fitted together by joinery alone without glue or fasteners, due to the precision and quality of the carpentry.
  After the Song Dynasty, brackets and bracket sets became more ornamental than structural when used in palatial structures and important religious buildings, no longer the traditional dougong.
context_section_description: Dougong (Chinese: 斗拱; pinyin: dǒugǒng; literally: 'cap [and] block')  is a unique structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture.
  The use of dougong first appeared in buildings of the late centuries BC and evolved into a structural network that joined pillars and columns to the frame of the roof. Dougong was widely used in the ancient Chinese during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) and developed into a complex set of interlocking parts by its peak in the Tang and Song periods. The pieces are fitted together by joinery alone without glue or fasteners, due to the precision and quality of the carpentry.
  After the Song Dynasty, brackets and bracket sets became more ornamental than structural when used in palatial structures and important religious buildings, no longer the traditional dougong.
caption: A stone-carved relief above a cave entrance of the Yungang Grottoes (Shanxi province) showing an imitation of dougong brackets, Northern Wei Dynasty (386-535 AD)
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