Visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing

Beijing: My visit to China took me into The Forbidden City.  Completed in 1420, it was the seat of Chinese dynastic power for 500 years.  The buildings are beautiful and were constructed with the very best craftsmanship.  My focus turned to the clay tile roofing.  Fired ceramic is one of the longest lasting materials that humans make.  They are unreactive, and last so long.

I am intrigued and inspired by the prevalent use of tile as a roofing material here.  It seems to be used as a roofing material throughout the area where we are visiting.  Glazed tile for the high level buildings, and unglazed grey for the regular homes.  I haven’t seen a single asphalt roof, yet.