Ancient Chinese palace and landscape architectures, with a long history, are highly accomplished and uniquely styled in terms of planning, architectural complex, space, and even ornaments. Of all the Chinese palaces, temples, and mansions, the most magnificent and beautiful part is the roof, which boasts the most conspicuous difference from Western buildings and which has won the most praise for Chinese architecture.

On the roofs, there is a special kind of ornaments called wenshou or zoomorphic ornaments, namely, a phoenix-riding god followed by a string of zoomorphic figures, some of which are on the main ridges, with others on the sloping, branch ridges, and eaves. Lovely and beautiful, these ornaments are seen as a sparking point of the ancient architectural decoration. Inside the architectural circles, these ornaments are called "Zou Tou Wu Lu (having no way out)," as these little animals are at the very end of the ridges or eaves.

Exquisitely made and orderly arranged, what were these zoomorphic ornaments used for, apart from serving decorative purpose? Let's take a closer look.

  Historical and Cultural Origins

The zoomorphic ornaments have their origin in the Chinese dragon culture, an important part of the brilliant Chinese culture. Energetic, decisive, optimistic, intelligent, and ambitious, the Chinese dragon is often seen as the symbol of the Chinese nation, and Chinese people everywhere proudly claim themselves as "Descendants of the Dragon." Ancient Chinese people adored the dragon, and hoped it might help them get rid of the ill fortune and natural disasters in their lives.

Over time, the dragon culture evolved from purely conceptual ideas, such as descendants of the dragon and dragon adoration, to concrete things in people's daily life, including dragon-decorated clothes (such as dragon robes for the emperors), utensils, and ornaments and talismans on buildings. The dragon culture appeared wherever Chinese culture went, and was prominent in ancient architectures, especially in decorative carvings.

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