The earliest screen wall ever found in China was constructed in the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century B.C.-771 B.C.). The remains of this wall, measuring around 98 inches long and 8 inches high, were discovered from an ancient tomb of that dynasty.
Also called “yingbi” or “zhaobi” in Chinese, screen wall is an isolated wall either outside or just inside the gate of a traditional Chinese house. Screens at the entrance of a house are often built to block the view of passers-by, as well as to decorate a courtyard. They can also provide privacy for visitors just entering the courtyard to tidy up their outfit. As for those outside the entrance, they usually serve the purpose of keeping the untidy scene on the opposite side out of view.
Beijing is a city abundant of screen walls, where visitors might easily find one in a traditional courtyard. One of the most famous is the so-called “Iron Screenwall” constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Seemingly cast of iron, it is actually a piece of volcanic rock. Originally located in the Iron Screen Lane named after it, the wall now stands in the Beihai Park, and is reserved a national treasure. Among all the ancient screen walls, however, the most elegant are the three “nine-dragon walls” built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The largest and earliest one of them is in the city of Datong, which is dubbed as “the City of Dragon Walls”. Around 150 feet long, 26 feet high and 7 feet thin, the wall originally stood in front of the mansion of a prince of the Ming Dynasty. On this wall, there are nine dragons made of glazed color tile in different colors, cruising in clouds.
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