Doors of yore, windows on China

By Tan Xian  |   2008-7-10  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

MANY people believe that qi or cosmic energy enters our houses through doors and windows. Antique gates, doors and windows were carefully designed and auspiciously placed, writes Tan Xian.

In ancient China, wooden gates, doors and windows were not only for entrance, exit, light and ventilation. They were also emblems of a family's status and power.

Their design and placement followed the principles of fengshui, the art of arranging spaces to promote well-being through the flow of cosmic energy.

Gates and doors also indicated protocol, as certain doors were used by certain categories of people.

In ancient times, the importance of a place was judged by its gates, the major entrances in walls and compounds. Strong and ornate wooden gates were necessary for palaces and temples, as they showed status and power. Gates were painted red. Black was avoided.

The types of permissible gate patterns and the number and size of gates were even written into law, notably in the Ming (1348-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Only royal families were permitted to have three to five gates. For example, there are five gates in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing.

A window refers to the entire wooden structure around the actual window opening and includes decorative borders as well as shutters, some opening vertically, some horizontally.

Doors and windows within a structure had similar design. Shan was a single vertical panel that could be moved to cover the door or window, forming a screen.

Shan was in even numbers for luck, mostly six, eight - even 12 for the conspicuously wealthy. The more shan, the richer the owner.

The homes of high officials, especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties, usually had doors and windows with exquisite carvings, often depicting historical figures or legends. The more ornate the carving, the richer and more elevated the owner.