Ridge Beasts on The Roof of Classical Chinese Architecture

     Ridge Beasts are common decorations on the roofs of classical Chinese architecture, often used in temples and palaces. The Five Ridges refer to the ridge of the roof, which is the location where the roof intersects and rises. The main ridge is located above the middle of the front, in four directions: southeast, northeast, northwest, and southwest. The vertical ridge falls downwards. Six beasts refer to the decorations on the roof ridge. There is a Dragon Wen on both ends of the main ridge, and five crouching beasts (Lion Dragon, Bullfight, Xie Zhi, Phoenix, Yau Yu) on the four vertical ridges, which are collectively called roof figures.

     The Five Ridges is a sloping roof, with four slopes for drainage, namely one slope in the east, south, west, and north directions. The sloping roof utilizes the gravity of water to drain rainwater from high to low, which can quickly discharge rainwater from the roof and avoid roof leakage. The Five Ridges are the intersection of the slopes in these four directions on the roof, with a raised water dividing line covered with semi-circular tiles. The Six Beasts are several animal statues built on these Five Ridges.

                               
     The small animals arranged on the palace can be called roof figures. roof figures began to be made of tiles. High grade Han buildings often use glazed tiles. Because ancient Han palace buildings were mostly made of wooden structures, their initial function was only to protect wooden bolts and nails, prevent leakage and rust, and provide fixation and support for the joints of the ridges.