In Mandarin, people often use the term “engraved beam, painted column” to describe extravagant mansions, because engraved wooden components are the features of Chinese architecture. The wood carvings are mostly placed on the truss under a corridor on the door or on the window.
Shusui is a tiebeam of a smaller area. It is often made into a radial. It is used to fill holes and make wooden frames steady. Now it is used mainly for decoration.
Douzuo is a pedestal that holds bearing blocks. It supports the heavy weight of the beams above. Therefore, it has structural functions. Since it comes in different shapes, it becomes the emphasis of carpentry work.
Dougong has structural functions. As the bracket arm reaches out, its end connects to the bearing block. While the blocks link with another bracket arm, the bracket arm in turn links with a higher bearing block. The linkage goes upward and eventually holds the roof in place. Therefore, it can support and distribute the weight of the entire roof.
The bolster is also termed “queti (雀替)” or “chajiao (插角).” It is a wooden part placed at the near-triangular intersection between beams and columns. It can make the wooden components steady.
Paper or wooden partitions are put between two rooms. A paneled door usually has six, eight, or ten door panels, and they are served as the partitions between the interior space. These panels can all be uninstalled when increasing the inner space is needed. A paneled door is composed of “tiaohuanban,” “gexin,” “yaohuaban,” and “qunban,” all of which refer to different parts of the door
Gexin refers to open ornamental casements and it features geometrical patterns, landscapes, or flower patterns. Glass panes or silk fabrics can be placed in these casements which contribute to the versatility of engraving art in traditional Chinese architecture.
Yaohuaban: the upper panel of a paneled door
Yaohuaban often features imitation of animal mask decors on bronze utensils. They are mostly a pair of hornless dragons, but sometimes they are flora or cloud patterns made by bas-relief engraving method.
The rim of qunban is only colored with dye halos, which is simple yet elegant.
The ventilating window is installed in a higher place in order to facilitate the indoor airflow exchange. Although it is placed in a higher position, the engraving art is still delicate. It is mostly a combination of paralleled or crossed wooden bars.