The Secret Hidden in the Roof Tiles of Ancient Chinese Buildings

    When it comes to ancient Chinese architecture, various antique houses come to mind. Some of them are solemn and majestic in their grandeur. Some are exquisite and have unique craftsmanship.

    Many people think that the tiles of ancient buildings look the same, but in fact, they are not. Common roof tiles of ancient buildings include tube tiles, glazed tiles, grey tiles, copper tiles, etc., and their appearance times also vary.

    The grey tiles that unify the aesthetics of northern and southern China have different names in the northern and southern regions. The southern region is called butterfly tiles, while the northern region is called yin and yang tiles. From different names, it can also be seen that gray tiles are a type of curved tile.

    Grey tiles are generally made from clay (including shale, coal gangue, and other powders) as the main raw material, which is processed, formed, dried, and roasted with mud. The color is dark blue and gray blue.

    During the Tang and Song dynasties, glazed tiles were mainly green in color, supplemented by black. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the technology of glazed pottery had greatly developed, especially during the Qianlong period, when it reached its peak and created large-scale buildings such as the glazed pavilion and glazed archway. However, in terms of color, yellow green and green are still the main colors. Yellow colored glass is unique to the royal family, while green colored glass is used by princes and princesses.

    Architectural art is a combination of practical technology and engineering aesthetics. The roofs of ancient Chinese buildings are made of various types of tiles, arranged in different ways and made of different materials to achieve different effects, which can be described as the art of roof tiles.