Chinese Tiles

Chinese tiles were typically painted in a Qinghua blue-and-white style. These ceramic tiles, in ancient times, were hand crafted and fired and often used for burial sites. During the Ming and Qing Dynasty, glazed tiles were also quite popular for use on imperial rooftops. Rooftop tiles were tubular and overlapped one another to prevent leaking in case of a crack.

Fine sand-less clay was necessary to produce a uniform and structurally strong tile. The small particles that composed the finer quality clays made ceramic tiles resistant to cracking. Tile makers would either roll this clay into sheets for further shaping, pinch the clay into the desired form, or flatten out coiled clay for further decoration.

Quick Facts

• One technique of tile making was called tub molding. In this method, clay was pressed into a circular mold and patted down until the desired thickness was achieved
• Chinese roof tiles during the Qing dynasty overlapped one another by 70 percent. Therefore, there were many layers of overlapping, reducing the chance of leakage within a dwelling
• Many house roofs were decorated with circular tiles that depicted images of monsters or dragons as talismans to protect a home