0417 Palace of Heavenly Purity, The Forbidden City, Beijing, PRC
Imperial roof decoration on the Palace of Heavenly Purity aka Palace of Heavenly Peace aka Qianqing Palace, in the Forbidden City, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.
Chinese imperial roof decoration or roof charms or roof-figures (檐獸 / 檐兽; Pinyin: yán shòu) or (走獸 / 走兽; Pinyin: zǒu shòu) or (蹲獸 / 蹲兽; Pinyin: Dūn shòu) were only allowed on official buildings of the empire. Along the ridges, near the corner, a row of small figures is placed. These are often made of glazed ceramic and form an outward marching procession. The imperial yellow glaze reserved for the emperor. At the tail of the procession will be an imperial dragon, representing the authority of the state. At the head of the procession will be a man riding a Phoenix, one legend suggests that this represents a minon of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a fenghuang-bird or qilin. Yet another interpretation is that this is a person serving the emperor, being watched by the following beasts.
In between will be mythical beasts, usually an odd number of them. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he stray from performing his duties with faithfulness and rectitude. At the top there is only one beast; the number of beasts indicating the importance of the duties performed within the building or within the courtyard protected by a gate. The maximum number of beasts is nine, including evil-dispelling bull, courageous goat-bull (獬豸), wind- and storm-summoning fish (狎魚), mythical lion (狻猊), auspicious seahorse, heavenly horse, lion, and chiwen (鴟吻, a son of dragon). Note the addition of an immortal guardian (行什, hangshi) in front of the dragon holding to a sword like a cane.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_roof_decoration
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Heavenly_Purity
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
0417 Palace of Heavenly Purity, The Forbidden City, Beijing, PRC
Imperial roof decoration on the Palace of Heavenly Purity aka Palace of Heavenly Peace aka Qianqing Palace, in the Forbidden City, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.
Chinese imperial roof decoration or roof charms or roof-figures (檐獸 / 檐兽; Pinyin: yán shòu) or (走獸 / 走兽; Pinyin: zǒu shòu) or (蹲獸 / 蹲兽; Pinyin: Dūn shòu) were only allowed on official buildings of the empire. Along the ridges, near the corner, a row of small figures is placed. These are often made of glazed ceramic and form an outward marching procession. The imperial yellow glaze reserved for the emperor. At the tail of the procession will be an imperial dragon, representing the authority of the state. At the head of the procession will be a man riding a Phoenix, one legend suggests that this represents a minon of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a fenghuang-bird or qilin. Yet another interpretation is that this is a person serving the emperor, being watched by the following beasts.
In between will be mythical beasts, usually an odd number of them. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he stray from performing his duties with faithfulness and rectitude. At the top there is only one beast; the number of beasts indicating the importance of the duties performed within the building or within the courtyard protected by a gate. The maximum number of beasts is nine, including evil-dispelling bull, courageous goat-bull (獬豸), wind- and storm-summoning fish (狎魚), mythical lion (狻猊), auspicious seahorse, heavenly horse, lion, and chiwen (鴟吻, a son of dragon). Note the addition of an immortal guardian (行什, hangshi) in front of the dragon holding to a sword like a cane.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_roof_decoration
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Heavenly_Purity
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.