Sand cushion isolation technology is suitable for rural low-rise buildings in high seismic intensity areas of northern China because it can eliminate the influence of foundation frost heaving besides the effect of seismic isolation.In order to investigate the seismic performances of sand cushion isolation structures, two 1/4 scale models of a two-story masonry building were made, the one is the ordinary aseismic structure and the other is the sand cushion isolation structure.The evolution of dynamic characteristics and dynamic responses of the two structures were compared and studied under different ground motion input intensities by shaking table tests.The results show that the shear failure due to concentrated plastic deformation of the bottom layer of the ordinary aseismic model happens under 7.0 degrees rare earthquake.As to the sand cushion isolation model, taking advantage of the isolation effect of the plastic deformation of sand cushion, the shear failure happens until the arrival of 8.5 degrees rare earthquake.From the initial stage of loading (6.0 degrees moderate earthquake) to the period when the ordinary aseismic model was going to quit work (7.5 degrees moderate earthquake), the decrease of natural frequencies of the sand cushion isolation model in X and Y axes are smaller than that of the ordinary aseismic model, and the dynamic amplification coefficient and inter story displacement are significantly smaller, which means the sand cushion isolation model behaves as if the structure is almost with no damage just as shown in the test.It is shown that the sand cushion has a good isolation effect and can effectively reduce the seismic input of the superstructure.