# Asian roof practicality

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-roof-practicality/393624>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 25, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-roof-practicality/393624 "2007-02-25T18:15:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-roof-practicality/393624/1 "2007-02-25T18:15:28Z")

</div>

One staple of old east Asian architecture is the curved roof, as demonstrated by buildings in the [Forbidden City](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Forbidden_City1.JPG). Is there some practical advantage of this style over the straight ones used today, or is it merely an aesthetic choice?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-roof-practicality/393624/2 "2007-02-25T20:24:28Z")

</div>

Straight as in flat, or peaked roofs like most residentual house in the U.S.?

I know they give a belief reason for the curved roof. Evil entities are said to slide down the roof and the curve flings them away from the dwelling. Many times things are done one way for a practical reason, and somebody has to come up with a poetic or religous reason why something is the way it is.