Can't drop birds on the roof of the Forbidden City? Expert: It’s just a false folklore
Our reporter Tang Ting
There have always been various legends about the Forbidden City.
One of them is that the reason why the roof of the Forbidden City looks particularly clean and smooth is because of special considerations in the design, so that the birds cannot stay and do not excrete on the roof.
This argument is widely circulated, and cultural scholar Ma Weidu once expressed a similar view on "Why is there no bird droppings on the roof of the Forbidden City" in the program.
Recently, a short video of Ma Weidu telling the above point was dug up by Weibo user "Land Bib".
In the video, Ma Weidu said that the main reason why the roof of the Forbidden City is so clean and there is no bird droppings is that the glazed tiles are so smooth, and the roof is slanted, and the birds cannot stand on it, so they will not excrete on it.
In order to prove that the above point of view is "untenable", the "land bib" engaged in the research of architectural heritage protection showed a video of a bird staying on the roof of the Palace of Supreme Harmony.
From the perspective of the "land bib", the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is tens of meters high. Even if there is bird droppings, it is invisible to the naked eye. The so-called "Eagle does not fall" and "(birds) cannot stand" are just that people are "right The beautiful fantasy of tradition".
Glazed tiles reflect light to restrict birds from staying
Which point of view between Ma Weidu and the "land bib" is correct?
When designing the roofs of ancient buildings, including the Forbidden City, are there any considerations to prevent birds from staying and excreting?
A reporter from Science and Technology Daily asked experts who were engaged in research on ancient building protection to verify.
"There is no historical evidence that when the ancients designed and built houses, glazed tile roofs were used to prevent birds from staying. However, scientific analysis shows that shiny objects are not conducive to birds or other animals approaching. Glazed tiles reflect light in the sun, so they can To a certain extent, birds can be restricted from staying on the tile surface," said Dr. Zhou Gan, a research librarian from the Palace Museum.
Zhou Qian introduced that the ancient buildings of the Forbidden City, including the roof design, were designed to highlight imperial power.
The yellow glazed tile roof is mainly used to protect the carcass of the tile from cracks caused by the sun, wind and rain. At the same time, yellow is also a symbol of prominent imperial power.
The smooth and clean roof of the Forbidden City benefits from years of maintenance.
Tile roof weeding, wall plastering, and ground restoration are the work done every year in the maintenance of ancient Chinese buildings. Since the establishment of the Forbidden City, all dynasties have attached great importance to the maintenance of ancient buildings.
Birds stay for excretion to bring weed seeds to the roof
“There are often grasses on the roofs of ancient buildings. If there are no birds to stop and excrete, how did the seeds of weeds come from?” Qi Ying, a lecturer in the Department of Historic Building Conservation, Beijing University of Architecture and Architecture, asked an interesting question.
Similarly, Zhou Qian also pointed out that the main reason for the weeding treatment on the tile roofs of ancient buildings is that there are grass seeds in the paving mud; bird droppings fall on the tiles, and there are grass seeds in the bird droppings; the spring is strong and windy. The grass seeds were scraped onto the roof of the tiles.
"People often like to imagine traditional official buildings, including the Forbidden City, to be particularly tall. They think that the design and construction are full of the wisdom of the ancestors, but some statements including'birds can't stand' are just false folklore. That's it." Qi Ying thought.
In Qi Ying’s view, for a long time, ancient buildings have been in a state of symbiosis with humans and the surrounding natural environment. Their design concepts are often environment-friendly and animal-friendly. It is impossible to take into account the prevention of birds in the early design. Animals stay on the roof.
"In fact, I think some netizens are right in replying. Factors such as rain and snow erosion, natural degradation, etc., will make bird droppings less obvious. The roofs of ancient buildings must be able to drop birds, not just birds, some Cats will also be active on the roofs of ancient buildings." Qi Ying said.