Editing Chinese architecture (section)

===Hierarchy===
[[File:Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, Building.jpg|thumb|A tomb mural of [[Xinzhou]], dated to the [[Northern Qi]] (550–577 AD) period, showing a hall with a [[Roof tiles|tiled roof]] with [[Chiwen|''chiwei'']] roof ornaments, [[dougong]] brackets, and doors with giant [[door knockers]] (perhaps made of bronze)]]
The projected hierarchy of importance for different building uses in Chinese architecture is based on the strict placement of buildings in a property/complex. Buildings with doors facing the front of the property are considered more important than those facing the sides. Buildings facing away from the front are the least important.

South-facing buildings in the rear and more private areas with higher exposure to sunlight are held in lower esteem and reserved for elders or ancestral plaques. Buildings facing east and west are generally for junior members or branches of the family, while buildings near the front are typically for servants and hired help.<ref name=zggjz>{{citation |title=中国古建筑 |publisher=齊魯音像出版社出版发行 |last=浙江长城纪实文化传播公司 |year=2004 |isbn=978-7-88408-237-7|oclc=057661389 }}</ref>

Front-facing buildings in the back of properties are used for celebratory rites and for the placement of ancestral halls and plaques. In multi-courtyard complexes, central courtyards and their buildings are considered more important than peripheral ones, the latter typically for storage, servants' rooms, or kitchens.<ref name=KnappEA/>