Architecture and hierarchy (2)

Residential Buildings of the Royal Relatives

Compared with the imperial palace, residential buildings for the royal relatives seemed less solemn and much smaller in size and scale. There were less sidesteps in front of gates, and instead of the colored-glaze tiles peculiar to the imperial palaces, green and gray ones were employed. Also, ridges could be decorated with engraved beasts; however, the number of beasts could not exceed nine because the number "nine" carried a special significance in old China and symbolized the emperor's supreme sovereignty.