Que (tower)

[4] It is thought that the que familiar to us are stone reproductions of the free-standing wooden and/or earthen towers which were placed in pairs in front of the entrances to the palaces, temples, and government buildings of the period (already known during the Qin dynasty).

Some que from the 3rd and 4th century have been found in Sichuan, but, as Ann Paludan notes, only in the province's more remote and presumably culturally conservative parts.

Generally, after the Eastern Han era, the role of que on the spirit way was assumed by huabiao pillars.

Second, Sichuan has more remote, hard to access areas, which is exactly where many of the Han dynasty que have managed to survive.

For example, imperial tombs of the Tang dynasty usually featured que, and remnants can still be seen today.

The Qianling Mausoleum, the best preserved example, features three sets of que towers arranged sequentially along the spirit way.

The ques in Nanjing were demolished in 1924 to make way for the construction of the Ming palace airfield.

A stone-carved que , 6 m (20 ft) in total height, located at the tomb of Gao Yi in Ya'an , Sichuan province, Eastern Han dynasty. [ 1 ] Notice the stone-carved decorations of roof tile eaves, despite the fact that Han dynasty stone que (part of the walled structures around tomb entrances) lacked wooden or ceramic components (but often imitated wooden buildings with ceramic roof tiles). [ 2 ]
Eastern Han stone-carved que pillar gates of Dingfang, Zhong County , Chongqing that once belonged to a temple dedicated to the Warring States period general Ba Manzi