Reader-built field atlas

Roofline Reading Atlas

A roof type should be supported by its complete planes, ridge network and gable treatment, not guessed from one dramatic corner.

Add a field record Read the Chinese Roof Types guide

The evidence pair

Two photographs that can be compared

Frame 1

The complete roof with both ends visible when possible

Frame 2

A short-end or gable view showing whether the roof slopes, overhangs or meets the wall

What the note must add

Record building, place, capture angle and visible ridge geometry. Keep type separate from rank, dynasty and originality; write uncertain when trees, scaffolding or later additions block decisive evidence.

Submissions remain private until East Moment reviews the rights, specificity and usefulness of the record.

Editorial founding evidence

A visible baseline, with the gaps left open

These are East Moment editorial records built from authorized or rights-cleared imagery. They are not reader submissions and do not count toward the public record total.

Many palace roofs and one isolated corner

Unmatched editorial baseline

A Forbidden City field view preserves several complete palace silhouettes, while an East Moment archive detail makes ridge figures and tile ends inspectable.

Several Forbidden City palace roofs with different ridge lines — Whole-roof comparison field; distance still hides some gable evidence.

Chinese roof corner with ridge figures, tiles and painted eaves — A useful detail from another building, not enough to classify the hidden whole roof.

Still missing: The images are from different sites and do not provide a matched end view. The corner detail cannot identify the complete roof type or prove rank and date.

Approved reader records

The Atlas in public

The first two-angle roof reading is still open.

Approved records will need a whole silhouette and the end that settles the label. A ridge animal or lifted corner alone is not a roof type.

Make the first record