Chinese Connection, Part II (II)

Heh-  a part 2 of a part 2. There was no part 1, and maybe there will be a part 3 of a part 2, too! Hopefully I’ll be able to muddle through somehow. I continue a look at Chinese timber frame detailing from the golden era of traditional Chinese carpentry.

Carving.

Many temples and upper class homes feature extensive carving. I present a few examples, the pictures largely speaking for themselves:

The following shots are from a Ming-era house in Taiwan, the Lin An Tai Ancestral House (林安泰古厝):

I love the carving of the bird on the right of this picture especially:

Awesome decorative pendants on the hanging posts:

I imagine that the bottle neck struts in this roof structure could only be attached by being slid onto the beam sideways:

No expense was spared on this house:

I’ve never seen a carved ‘shrimp’ beam in the form of a zither – beautiful!:

The bright red eave ceiling paneling is also very nice.

Another structure, and one needing some work, but it must have been really stunning at one time:

The roof edge is a bit thin, but I could live with it:

A few ‘simple’ carved panels:

And another pendant:

Next time, we’ll look at Chinese temple ceilings. Thanks for coming by the Carpentry Way and comments are always welcome.