Forbidden City Animals On Roof

Colors in the forbidden city.

Forbidden city animals on roof.

A crow is standing on the roof of a building in the forbidden city. These mythical animals are characteristic of chinese architecture among them are a phoenix a lion a celestial horse and a sea horse suanni the dragon lion the dragon kiss yayu the dragon fish douniu the bull and xingshi the monkey. The maximum number is seen in the lower image taken at the hall of supreme harmony. Dragon is honored as.

For example dragons are used to protect against fire while phoenixes bring good luck and represent virtue. Apart from the permanent residents mentioned above the forbidden city also used to have a deer garden. Ceramic animals on the roof. The hall of taihe dian was the place where emperors in the ming and qing dynasties held.

The mythical animals on the roof of hall of supreme harmony are. Animal decorations on the eaves there are not a few mythical animals in forbidden city including dragon phoenix lion elephant turtle qilin xiezhi and so on. Each animal has different meanings. The maximum number of beasts is nine including evil dispelling bull 鬥牛 courageous goat bull 獬豸 wind and storm summoning fish 狎魚 mythical lion 狻猊 auspicious seahorse 海馬 heavenly horse 天馬 lion 獅子 and phoenix 鳳.

It is one of mythical creatures living in the sea in ancient china myths and legends. Animal statuettes have been used on the eaves of important chinese buildings since at least the han dynasty 206 bc 220 ad. The maximum number is seen at the hall of supreme harmony 太和殿. A lion represents the power of the owner and a haetae a bull like beast reputed to butt wrongdoers stands for justice.

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. There are many kinds of animals on the forbidden city s roofs. Second it has a roof with double eaves and is decorated with carved dragons and phoenixes most of which are gilded. Dragon symbol of the authority of imperial power phoenix the king of bird high and incomparable virtue lion brave avoid evil spirits tianma mythical beast in legends of mountains and seas haima one son of dragon suanni son of dragon in charge of rain and prevent disaster yayu son of dragon in charge of rain and prevent disaster xiezhi unicorn it can distinguish good and evil douniu.

The deer is a symbol of longevity in china and is also endowed with auspicious meaning by people. In chinese legend it is the king of all birds with a crown on its head which is similar to today s. Forbidden city chinese pinyin zijincheng or wade giles romanization tzu chin ch eng imperial palace complex at the heart of beijing peking china commissioned in 1406 by the yongle emperor of the ming dynasty it was first officially occupied by the court in 1420 it was so named because access to the area was barred to most of the subjects of the realm. They can be seen in front of palaces on the eave ridges and stone terraces.