Forbidden City Roofs

Yellow was the emperor s color.

Forbidden city roofs.

Mysterious animals on the palace roofs of the forbidden city there are more or less rows of small animal statues on the roofs of each palace in the forbidden city. Imperial roof decoration of a minor building at the forbidden city. In support of this argument the forbidden city features seven pink gold rooftops four on the rooftop of five phoenix towers one on the rooftop of hall of central harmony one on the rooftop of hall of union and peace and one on the rooftop of the hall of imperial peace. The forbidden city roof architecture showed different levels of importance for buildings.

The gate is also one of the tallest buildings of the complex standing 125 feet 38 metres high at its roof ridge. Theforbidden city beijing china. One of the most beautiful parts of the forbidden city s architecture is its roofs and their eaves. The roof shape of the forbidden city s most important buildings also had significance.

Along the ridges unions between the roof panels near the corner a row of small figures is placed. Roofs had to meet institutional requirements. Double eave hip roofs were the classiest roofs in the empire reserved for the top imperial buildings. As early as the neolithic period a basic principle of chinese architecture was already established wherein columns spaced at intervals rather than walls provided the support for the roof.

The roofs are generally big featured with the smooth lines distinct eaves and delicate animal statues. Their ridges are decorated with all manner of clay figures and the more important the. Multiple gables with decorations. The types of roofs mainly include single eave hip roof hipped gable roof and pyramidal hipped roof.

Dragons and other animal ornaments crown the roofs of most of the forbidden city s main structures. Walls came to serve merely as enclosing screens. Yellow is the color of the emperor. These are often made of glazed ceramic and form an outward marching procession.

The wu gate is the imposing formal southern entrance to the forbidden city. Thus almost all roofs in the forbidden city bear yellow glazed tiles. Resting hill roofs were used for official buildings hanging hill roofs for better off premises and hard hill roofs for civil buildings. Hip roofs were mainly used for imperial palaces.

The library at the pavilion of literary profundity 文 渊 阁 had black tiles because black was associated with water and thus fire prevention. They are mythical creatures in ancient chinese legends which represent all kinds of magic and wonderful things. Yellow tiles and stately roof shapes only the imperial buildings of the forbidden city were permitted to have yellow tiles. There are only two exceptions.