When appreciating ancient buildings, people can often see a row of "small animals" with different shapes sitting on the ridge of the roof. These are Vertical Ridge Beasts, which are an important part of the roof of traditional Chinese buildings.

These small animals have relatively strict requirements in use. The number of them depends on the building level. The higher the building level, the smaller animals. Generally, it is set according to the singular number of 3, 5 and 7, and the maximum number is 11. However, in some local dwellings, this rule is not so strict. The arrangement order of animals and the number of animals used are not customized but are very random and have more diverse images.

In addition to the requirements on quantity, there are strict regulations on the style and arrangement order of small animals. According to the records in "The Code of the Qing Dynasty", the arrangement order of these small animals from the eaves to the roof is: immortal riding the phoenix, dragon, phoenix, lion, heavenly horses, sea horses, suan ni, ya yu, xie zhi, dou niu, xing shi.

Immortal Riding the Phoenix: It is said that it is based on the image of King Min of Qi riding a chicken and placed in front of the ridge beast, which means that bad luck can be turned into good luck; Dragons like to look around, so they are put in front of the eaves corner; The phoenix symbolizes dignity and virtue; The lion represents bravery and majesty; The heavenly horse symbolizes the virtue of being able to reach the sky and the world; The sea horse symbolizes grand virtue; The suan ni is recorded in ancient books and it is a beast of the same kind as the lion. It is said that it is one of the nine sons of the dragon. Besides, it is said that it can eat tigers and leopards, meaning to lead all animals.

These beautiful and practical animals sitting on the eaves and corners, adding beauty to the ancient buildings, making them more magnificent, and full of artistic charm.

Translator: SHI Meiling

Reviewer: ZHANG Ruochen