A dragon can hold the end of a roof-tile row — ChillScroll

A row of yellow glazed roof tiles ending in round caps decorated with dragons

A dragon can hold the end of a roof-tile row

In traditional Chinese architecture, rows of half-round roof tiles finish with round caps that help hold the tiles in place. A Ming dynasty example covers that useful cap with a yellow-glazed five-clawed dragon.

One small dragon, making sure the roof finishes with ceremony.

Source · The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗