Gallery | 78 : Summer Palace Roofs, Beijing

The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) just outside Beijing was built in the Qing Dynasty as a cooler retreat for the Emperor from the Forbidden City during the hot, dry months of summer.

The distinctive ribbed roofs of traditional Chinese construction are made in terracotta using a similar technique to the Romans. Flat tiles with upturned sides are laid on the roof and then a semi-circular capping tile is placed over the join making a water-tight roof and a natural drainage channel.

This archive photograph was taken by a SACU member in the early 1980s.