Why are the corners of the eaves of ancient Chinese buildings decorated with immortals, birds, and b

When we watch TV or go out to play, we see some ancient buildings, those buildings have some immortals on the ridge or eaves corner, small stone statues of birds and beasts, some are just the eaves corners, and some are a series of various animal shapes on the ridge, in fact, this tradition has a long history, at the beginning it was just the top hat of the iron nail that fixed the roof, but with the skills of the craftsmen of later generations and the higher pursuit of the people's artistic image, those top hats have changed more and more, and they have formed a large number of immortals as we see todayBirds. These immortals, birds and beasts can not only fix the roof tiles and the internal structure of the house in practical terms, but also have the meaning of auspicious peace. <>

The original function of this kind of stone statue was to fix the top hat on the iron nail on the roof, at the beginning of the building form was relatively simple, the roof only needed an iron nail at the corner of the eaves to fix it, so the building at that time only had a stone statue of an animal at the corner of the eaves, and it was only used as a simple decorative role. Then in the Song Dynasty, people's pursuit of architectural modeling was more diversified, the slope of the roof was steeper than the previous buildings, and the bold use of the column reduction method to form the exaggerated effect of "anti-Yu cornice", which led to the necessity of using iron nails on the roof ridge corner beam. Then the top hats of these iron nails were made into the shape of the beast by the craftsmen, the imagination of the Song Dynasty was rich, and the aesthetics were emphasized, and the technology of the glass was gradually more mature, so the immortals on the roof, the appearance of birds and beasts was even more varied, and formed a certain scale.

The animal shapes on the corners of these eaves first appeared in the Han Dynasty, and then reached a heyday in the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially in the Qing Dynasty, the sacred beasts on the roof are no longer a decorative role, but also a symbol of status. This can also be said to be a part of our traditional Chinese culture, which has a certain practical use, and the animals on the roof also have a symbolic meaning of auspiciousness and wealth. <>

Immortals refer to the decorative building components installed at the end of the eaves and ridges of buildings such as the palace and the mountain. The figure of the immortal is that of an immortal riding on a chicken with its head held high. The beasts that are arranged in order after the chicken rider are dragons, phoenixes, lions, heavenly horses, seahorses, sinisters, fishes, pigs, bullfights, and xingshi.

The outermost small statue on the eaves corner is called the immortal, also known as the real person or the king of the underworld. It is said that this immortal is the incarnation of King Min of Qi, and the folk have the saying that "King Min is exposed to the sun, cornered", saying that the King of Min of Qi during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was defeated by Yan General Le Yi, fled in a hurry, ran into walls everywhere, and was cornered, and was later rescued by a phoenix that flew in. At the top of the eaves, this "immortal riding phoenix" is placed, and there is probably a symbolic meaning of life in a desperate place and turning evil into good fortune.

There is a symbolic meaning about the time, and through this series of designs, the architectural style can be highlighted, which is conducive to showing the meaning of the design.

The ancients felt that the meaning of these things was better, and if they were placed on the roof, the home would be protected and the home would be very peaceful.

Dragon: A magical animal in ancient legends, with scales, whiskers and claws, can make clouds and rain, and is seen in feudal society.

The monograph is a symbol of the emperor. Genus.

Phoenix: The king of birds in ancient legends, the male is called the phoenix, and the female is called the phoenix, commonly known as the phoenix. It is a symbol of Jirui in the feudal era and a synonym for the queen.

Lion: In ancient times, it was believed to be the king of beasts and a symbol of might.

Pegasus: It means a divine horse. During the Han Dynasty, it was a general term for good horses from the Western Regions.

Seahorse: also known as Luolongzi, a sea dragon, can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. The Pegasus and Seahorse symbolize the royal Virtue that can reach the sky and the sea.

Fierce beasts: The fierce beasts that can eat tigers and leopards in ancient legends are also the meaning of the mighty beasts.

Fish: Strange beasts in the sea, can also make clouds and rain.

Hedgehog: Legend has it that it is a unicorn that can distinguish between right and wrong. It is a symbol of the emperor's "righteousness and brightness" and "peace and justice".

Bullfighting: also known as the bull, is a kind of dragon in ancient legends, that is, the sword, the like and the like. It has a single horn, but it has no horns.

Xingshi: A human figure with the face of a winged monkey, a tail-crusher. Because it is ranked tenth, it is called Xingshi.

When appreciating ancient buildings, we are often attracted by the exquisiteness of ancient buildings, and at the same time, there are many superstitious sayings about the construction of ancient buildings. For example, the ridges and eaves of ancient buildings are decorated with birds and beasts, which are really beautiful at first glance, in fact, in addition to the decorative effect, these ridges and the birds and beasts on the back of the eaves have other meanings, so these birds and beasts also have a special title, that is, the town ridge beast, so why did the ancients like to decorate the birds and beasts on the roof ridge and the back of the eaves?

The first is because it has a certain ornamentality

From ancient times to the present, people's pursuit of beauty has always been, and the ancients also loved all beautiful things, not to mention that the house is the most important thing in a family. Therefore, in addition to the decoration of windows, birds and animals are placed on the ridges and backs of the eaves to increase the beauty of the building. With the development of dynasties, the types and numbers of Townsroots have changed, and the number and types of Townsroots used by people of different status are different, and then evolved into a status symbol.

The second is that it has the role of fixation and support

Originally, the inclusion of these birds and animals on the ridges and backs of the eaves did not mean anything else, but purely for practicality. Because the ancient buildings were made of wood, the houses were also suitable for people to live in, so that people had a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Therefore, the birds and animals on the back of the eaves and the ridge are placed to protect the door and prevent water leakage, and it also has a fixed and supporting effect on the connection of the ridge.

The third is that it has a beautiful meaning

Generally, the birds and animals placed on the back of the eaves and the ridge of the roof are carved into dragons, phoenixes, lions and other animals, these animals are arranged in a row, and then look at the distant sky with brushes, which can express the wishes of the owner and the vision for the future. Moreover, different shapes of birds and animals have special meanings, for example, "dragon" represents a noble temperament, while "phoenix" represents a kind of auspiciousness. All in all, the different townback beasts represent a kind of sustenance for a better life in the future of the house owner.

In ancient Chinese architecture, the reason why birds and animals are decorated on the back of the eaves is not only for beauty, but more importantly, for the symbol of identity and status.

The birds and animals of the ancient buildings are decorated to symbolize people's yearning for a better life. It is also delicate and exquisite, pleasing to the eye.

At first, it was just used as a fix, decoration, to prevent water leakage, etc., and then it was hooked with the grade.