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A spirit screen, also called spirit wall or screen wall, ( or ) is used to shield an entrance gate in traditional Chinese architecture. Spirit screens can be positioned either on the outside or the inside of the gate they are protecting.Adam Pillsbury (ed.): The Insider's Guide to Beijing 2005-2006, True Run Media, 2005
/ref>Mengbi Li: The evolution of the zhaobi: Physical stability and the creation of architectural meaning, Journal of Architecture, 2020, pp. 45-64
/ref> The Chinese term ''"yingbi"'' is used to refer to screens on the outside as well as on the inside, whereas the term ''"zhaobi"'' is used only to refer to screens positioned on the outside.Piper Rae Gaubatz: Beyond the Great Wall: urban form and transformation on the Chinese frontiers, Stanford University Press, 1996, p. 336
/ref> Spirit screens can be either solitary structures or could be attached to a neighboring wall. They can be constructed from a variety of materials such as brick, wood, stone, or glazed tile. Outer spirit screens were often status symbolsRonald G. Knapp: China's living houses: folk beliefs, symbols, and household ornamentation, University of Hawaii Press, 1999, pp. 68-70
/ref> and could be richly decorated. Common decorations include symbols of good luck, such as the character for good fortune (). Particularly ornate spirit screens featuring a dragon motif are the
/ref> Practically, they allow natural light and air circulation to enter a room, while obstructing vision. A solution that allows for privacy and cooling in an era without air conditioning. Archaeological evidence has established the existence of spirit screens back to the
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Chinese Traditional Architecture Glossary - 中国传统建筑生词
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{{commons category, Yingbi
Types of wall
Architecture in China
Traditional Chinese architecture
*
A spirit screen, also called spirit wall or screen wall, ( or ) is used to shield an entrance gate in traditional Chinese architecture. Spirit screens can be positioned either on the outside or the inside of the gate they are protecting.Adam Pillsbury (ed.): The Insider's Guide to Beijing 2005-2006, True Run Media, 2005/ref>Mengbi Li: The evolution of the zhaobi: Physical stability and the creation of architectural meaning, Journal of Architecture, 2020, pp. 45-64
/ref> The Chinese term ''"yingbi"'' is used to refer to screens on the outside as well as on the inside, whereas the term ''"zhaobi"'' is used only to refer to screens positioned on the outside.Piper Rae Gaubatz: Beyond the Great Wall: urban form and transformation on the Chinese frontiers, Stanford University Press, 1996, p. 336
/ref> Spirit screens can be either solitary structures or could be attached to a neighboring wall. They can be constructed from a variety of materials such as brick, wood, stone, or glazed tile. Outer spirit screens were often status symbolsRonald G. Knapp: China's living houses: folk beliefs, symbols, and household ornamentation, University of Hawaii Press, 1999, pp. 68-70
/ref> and could be richly decorated. Common decorations include symbols of good luck, such as the character for good fortune (). Particularly ornate spirit screens featuring a dragon motif are the
Nine-Dragon Wall
A Nine-Dragon Wall or Nine-Dragon Screen () is a type of screen wall with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. Such walls are typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens.
Early reference to the tradition of putting a screen wa ...
s that can be found in imperial palaces and gardens.
Spirit screens are tied to the belief that evil spirits () cannot move around corners, hence the spirit screen blocks them from entering through the gate they shield.Jeanne Boden: The Wall Behind China's Open Door: Towards Efficient Intercultural Management in China, Asp / Vubpress / Upa, 2008, pg. 17/ref> Practically, they allow natural light and air circulation to enter a room, while obstructing vision. A solution that allows for privacy and cooling in an era without air conditioning. Archaeological evidence has established the existence of spirit screens back to the
Western Zhou Dynasty
The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nom ...
(1046–771 BCE).Women of China, Foreign Language Press, 2007, p. 43 During the times of the Western Zhou, spirit screens were a privilege reserved for palaces and the mansions of noblemen such as dukes or princes. Usage of spirit screens in private residences did not develop until much later.
See also
*Nine-Dragon Wall
A Nine-Dragon Wall or Nine-Dragon Screen () is a type of screen wall with reliefs of nine different Chinese dragons. Such walls are typically found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens.
Early reference to the tradition of putting a screen wa ...
*Siheyuan
A ''siheyuan'' (; IPA: ɹ̩̂.xɤ̌.ɥɛ̂n is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used ...
- a traditional residential compound, whose layout normally includes a "spirit screen".''Siheyuan'' iChinese Traditional Architecture Glossary - 中国传统建筑生词
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References
{{commons category, Yingbi
Types of wall
Architecture in China
Traditional Chinese architecture
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