Roaming around the World Showcase, it’s always amazing to see the amount of authentic detailing abounding everywhere.

As an example, one of these photos was taken of a rooftop in the Forbidden City, in Beijing, while one was taken in the China Pavilion in EPCOT. Can you tell which is which?

They do beg the question, however: Why would the Chinese people decorate their buildings with a guy sitting on a chicken? While there are many theories as to the significance of the roof decorations, none of them seem to be particularly definitive. One of the most prevalent explanations states that in the 3rd century, the evil Prince Min of Qi was defeated and hung from a roof until he died from exposure. Figures of Prince Min were thereafter placed on rooftops as effigies, to ward off evil or to mark his misdeeds. Riding the chicken, there is no escape for him, as the chicken cannot fly with his weight on its back; cannot go backwards being watched by all the other roof guardians, and cannot move under the roof, as there is another dragon in wait below.

Other tales involve a prince that was fleeing from enemies and became boxed in by a river, but was rescued by a large bird that bore him to safety, so I suppose it depends on how dark you like your legends. Pragmatically, however, they also seem to be useful as nail covers, for the reinforcing nails in the roof.

Another interesting feature is that close scrutiny reveals each animal in the line as being different—a dragon, phoenix, lion, unicorn, horse, etc., with the last being an Immortal Being with either a cane or a sword. The number of figures seems related to the importance of the building, with the highest number reserved for the Hall of Supreme Harmony. This has gotten muddled as time has passed because modern touristy buildings are often decorated with the figurines as well.

One of the many criticisms I constantly hear from people who “don’t get it” about Disney is its alleged homogenized representation of the world; the idea being that the only people who would be interested in a “World Showcase” are those looking for a bland, unauthentic viewpoint. I think that the level of care taken in reproducing the various structures in all the pavilions easily belies this argument, and is more likely to encourage people to seek out information about and develop interest in foreign cultures than remain ethnocentrically ignorant.  

Photos by Jeanine Yamanaka. The upper photo is from Beijing.