Why Do Chinese Roofs Curved Upwards

The upturned eaves on roof corners are the most identifiable mark of chinese roof architecture.

Why do chinese roofs curved upwards.

If evil spirits were to descend from the sky for instance they would hit the roofs and be sent shooting back up and away however gods were also inspired to descend onto earth by the color black such as in roof tiles very tricky. Asian roofs are gently curved out at the corners in order to allow more light to enter the windows in winter and provide extra shade in the summer. Asian roofs actually have both straight inclined roof lines mult pitched roof lines and swept curved roof lines. This kind of architecture is very scientific and practical in some part of china there is a heavy rainfall throught the year the curved roofs make the rain fall down on the ground easily and keep.

There are many parts for the formation of roofs such as purlin base rafter ornament rafter end rafter kioi kayaoiand so on. Bioclimatic architecture at its best. Not only do they protect residences from the elements but they also have a deeper meaning. Why do some chinese houses have curved roofs answers this kind of architecture is very scientific and practical in some part of china there is a heavy rainfall throught the year the curved roofs.

The tou kung system is very flexible it balances the forces throughout the roof and this allowed chinese architecture to develop as a tradition throughout east asia. So we had to select a specific member to study the curve of roof. Some say the curved upturned roof in chinese architecture originated out of buddhism and its ancient principles of warding off evil with curves. Roofs are very important to chinese architecture.

We can note several things about chinese roofs that reflect china s ancient culture. Kayaoi was selected as the best member for studying the curve of roof because kayaoi is a surface member and its range covers both ends of the roof. For example temple roofs are curved because buddhists believed that this helped ward off evil spirits which were believed to assume the form of straight lines. The straight roof line was usually used on lower class buildings the multi pitched roof lines on wealthier construction and the curved roof lines reserved for the most magnificent of structures.