Immortal and beasts on the eaves of the building, Forbidden City, Beijing
Most of the ancient Chinese buildings were civil structures. The roof tiles at the front of the eaves were placed in the most forward position, so they had to bear a "push" from the roof tiles at the whole vertical ridge at the top. In the meantime, if do not have protective measure, also be blown easily by gale fall. Therefore, people use tile nails to fix the tiles at the front of the eaves and corners. In the beautification process of the nail caps, various animal images are gradually formed, which are called ridges. Ridges are made of tiles, which can fix and support the connecting parts of the ridges. Later, ridges developed decorative functions and had strict hierarchical meanings. The number and form of ridges placed in buildings of different levels were strictly limited. The more small animals, the higher the building level, common for nine, seven, five, three, are odd. However, the palace hall of supreme harmony on the ridge of the beast is ten. The foremost leader was a crane rider
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: Beijing
Photo credit: © avada / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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