History Of Chinese Roofs

Cavemen covered their structures with sod roofs covered with earth and plants.

History of chinese roofs.

Yán shòu or walking beasts 走獸 走兽. The kandyan roof style for example bears many similarities to the east asian hip and gable roof technique which has its origins in china. The upturned eaves on roof corners are the most identifiable mark of chinese roof architecture. We can note several things about chinese roofs that reflect china s ancient culture.

The origin of the distinctive curve of the roof which first appeared in china about the 6th century ce is not fully understood although a number of theories have been put forward. By the eighth century thatched roofs became the common form of most areas of western europe and wooden shingles in the eleventh. Chinese imperial roof decorations or roof charms or roof figures 檐獸 檐兽. Beginning in the yellow earth region the same types of materials and structure were employed for centuries.

Traditional chinese architecture is not only as old as chinese civilization with 5 000 years of history but unique in the world particularly when the roof system is concerned both in terms of its multi layered dougong structure a set of interlocking wooden brackets that supports the massive roofs and its visual style in shape size and colour. Roman and greek civilizations utilized slate and tile in the first century. Research has shown the first known glazed clayroof tilewas used in china 5 000 years ago. These early shelters provided good insulation unfortunately they were not vermin or waterproof.

It s flexible enough to be adapted to many materials and terrains. These are a sturdy strong and durable option that gives us consistent quality throughout. Many of us might be familiar with roofs made of interlocking tiles made of that cooling material. The use of clay roofing tiles first began in china as early as 10 000 bc.

49 the chinese origin guardian lion is also found in front of buddhist temples buildings and some hindu temples in nepal across asia including japan korea thailand myanmar vietnam sri lanka nepal cambodia and laos. The tou kung system is very flexible it balances the forces throughout the roof and this allowed chinese architecture to develop as a tradition throughout east asia. Dūn shòu were statuettes placed along the ridge line of official buildings of the chinese empire. Chinese architecture remained remarkably constant throughout the history of the country.

Throughout history roofshave been made from available resources. Zǒu shòu or crouching beasts 蹲獸 蹲兽. Wood was always preferred rather than stone and the roof material of choice was glazed ceramic tiles.