Residential building decoration—in northern China where people idolize fish and dragon, the two pillars in residential house are made in the form of yin-yang dragons with heads down and tails up crossed at the sky beam. In southern China, they are in the form of two
phoenixes, and in Yunnan among Yi and Bai ethnic groups, they are yin-yang tigers. Dai ethnic group who idolizes peacock and elephant, the two pillars are in the form of peacocks. A decorative symbol in the center of the sky beam as the "central flower" is a universal cultural code of Chinese architecture.
The "central flower" is made in a variety of forms. In the Yangtze River valley, it is a four-pedal evergreen flower made with four inverted tiles, a prototype of bamboo style architecture from Hemudu culture. The "Central flower" in Anhui, ]iangxi, hunan, Sichnan, Guizhou, and Yunnan are made with three titles shaped into a Chinese word "pin", known as "three letter stack",or "three hats." It is believed that such symbol keeps away the evil spirits and provides safety at all seasons. There is also "coin flower" or "gourd flower." Yi and Bai ethnic groups in Ynnan Province are black or white tiger totem lovers. Their symbol on the sky beam center is a tile cat.
