7. The Xiayu was a monstrous sea beast. Both the xiayu and the suanni were said to be gods capable of conjuring up a downpour, putting out any fire, and warding off calamities.

8. The Xiezhi, was an ancient goat reputed to gore guilty people in court. It is the symbol of valor and justice.

9. The Douniu, was a legendary small dragon with horns. It is used to repel evil spirits and avert misfortunes.

10. The Xingshi, was a zoomorphic figure with bird wings and a monkey's face. It is the last to come in the string of ornaments. Of all ancient Chinese palaces, it only appears on the ridge of the Taihe Palace.

These zoomorphic ornaments, when placed in order on the ridges of ancient architectures, were expected to bring good fortune, ward off calamities, and uphold justice. While this can be easily dismissed as superstition, they do add to the grandeur and magnificence of the imperial buildings.

  Arrangement of Zoomorphic Ornaments

The zoomorphic ornaments on a sloping ridge of Taihe Palace

There were strict rules in ancient China for the arrangement of zoomorphic ornaments, whose number depended on the rank of the building according to feudal hierarchy. The largest number of zoomorphic ornaments is found on the Taihe Palace of the Forbidden City, which enjoyed an unparalleled position in Chinese architectural history. Usually, only nine zoomorphic ornaments could be found on other ancient architectures, such as the Zhonghe Palace and the Tian'anmen Gate.

As the court of ancient emperors, the Taihe Palace boasts the most zoomorphic ornaments. Leading the flock is the phoenix-riding god, after who comes a chiwen (a son of the dragon), a phoenix, a lion, a heavenly horse, a sea horse, and five other mythological animals, all with unusual names.

The Qianqing Palace (the Palace of Heavenly Purity), where the emperor lived and disposed his daily political affairs and which was ranked second to the Taihe Palace, has a string of nine zoomorphic ornaments.

Ranked after the Qianqing Palace, the Kunning Palace (the Palace of Female Tranquility), which served as the empress's apartments, has a group of seven zoomorphic figures. This number is further reduced to five for the 12 halls in the side courtyards, which used to house the imperial concubines of different grades. Some of the side halls have only one animal figure each on their roofs.

Apart from serving the decorative purpose, reflecting the official rank of the building's owner, and warding off evil spirits, the zoomorphic figures also had other functions, such as reinforcement. In order to pin up a zoomorphic ornament, a long nail was used to connect it with the ridge, hence reinforcing the ridge and the roof.

Author: Jessie