A Chinese architectural feature typically found in the ceiling of temples and palaces, usually at the centre and directly above the main throne, seat, or religious figure.
Gongshutang
Temple (公輸堂) with its unforgettable cosmological ceiling. Just a small temple in the rural outback in Huxian
County (戶縣), Shaanxi, in Qinan village (祁南村). The locals even barely remember its name.
The Gongshutang
Temple, originally called Yuanyuantang (源遠堂), also known
as Wanfotang (萬佛堂) was built in the Yongle period of
the Ming Dynasty, facing south from the north. It was erected by the followers
of the “Baiyang Sanhui” (白陽三會) movement to commemorate their legendary
ancestor-founder Lu Ban (魯班).
From the
very beginning, Gongshutang was a large-scale temple complex. Nowadays only the
main hall exists with a building area of 106 square meters. Referring to the
folk religion, the temple is conceived to worship the amalgam of the Taoist and
Buddhist pantheons.
A few
spectacular cosmological ceilings from various Chinese temples in Beijing and
suburbs.
The
dragon is a paradoxical emanation of the Supreme in Chinese traditional
aesthetics, accumulated over millennia. Therefore, it is natural that in the
temple microcosm, a zenith point is assigned to him.
✏️Caisson ceiling is the unique design of interior ceiling in traditional Chinese Architecture. It is made from wood, generally looking like an open umbrella and decorated with various carvings and colorful paintings, representing the highest architecture level in ancient China. It can only be used in the royal palaces and temples with high ranks, set right above the seats or Buddha statues.
The caisson ceiling actually has something to do with the fire fighting. A special ceiling is made at the top of the palace and the pavilion, and decorated with algae and aquatic plants patterns such as lotus, water chestnut, lotus root in the hope of subduing the fire devil and protecting the safety of the building.
