Forbidden City Yellow Roofs

The buildings all faced south which stood for holiness.

Forbidden city yellow roofs.

This color can only be used by imperial families in ancient china. They also faced away from the north which symbolized the enemies of the chinese cold winds and evil. But this colour also symbolises fire and that is the reason why the library roof is the only roof in the city that is black instead of yellow. One example is wenyuange the imperial library in beijing s forbidden city which amidst many yellow roofs stands under a roof of black tiles.

Here are a few examples. Another principle is often respected even if it is more questionable. Red is associated with fertility and good fortune so all of the buildings and defensive walls are red. The main forbidden city colors.

Even the forbidden city s smallest design details are rich in symbolism from its golden yellow tiles a color linking the emperor to the sun to the ceramic animals that line the corners of. The forbidden city was designed using ancient chinese symbolism and philosophy. In the forbidden city building there are more than 10 different types of roofs. Yellow and red are the main colors of forbidden city architectures.

Though the majority of the forbidden city s walls are made of grey brick and many of the stairs and terraces are made from bright white marble there are also many bold and colorful elements and there are very deliberate choices behind the colors used. Red walls yellow roofs and green blue decorations. It is found in many places such as the number of animals visible on a roof or the number of nails on the doors. Decorations in the palace are painted yellow.

Even the roof tiles in the forbidden city are glazed in yellow to clearly announce his divinity. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles. Take the three halls as an example the roofs are different. The roofs of the buildings in the city were made with yellow tiles.

The main hall is mainly yellow. Books were liable to catch fire black was supposed to be the colour of water and a black coloured roof would mean ever ready water to put out fires. The roof form of chinese architecture is rich and colorful. Yellow meaning respect in chinese culture was widely used on roofs of most palaces.

The roof of the forbidden city is full of glazed tiles. Green is used. Therefore yellow became the dominant color in the forbidden city. Any study done the forbidden city has approximately 8500 rooms so the legend is false.