A Beijing courtyard gate can stand open while the principal rooms and people inside remain invisible from the lane. A wall just beyond the entrance catches the view. Visitors turn beside it before entering the courtyard.
This wall is called a zhaobi (照壁) or yingbi (影壁). It does not close the entrance. Instead, it creates a short transitional space between street and household. People outside cannot look straight through, and opening the gate does not expose the entire courtyard.
The Palace Museum gives three direct functions: blocking sightlines, separating inside from outside, and providing decoration. Because the wall is often the first complete surface seen after entry, brick carving, glazed tile and auspicious motifs can be concentrated there. The screen also helps one entrance, forecourt and inner living area unfold in sequence.
Feng shui is one part of the history
Traditional feng shui explanations treat a straight rush of air or qi towards the gate as something to be moderated. Prince Kung’s Palace Museum records this interpretation alongside observable architectural effects such as screening, zoning, decoration and spatial depth.
The two kinds of explanation answer different questions. Feng shui records how historical users understood and valued the wall. Privacy, a redirected route and a divided view can be read directly from the plan. Architectural function does not require dismissing the belief, and the belief should not replace the physical evidence.
Screen walls also vary in position and form. One may stand independently inside a gate, attach to the gable wall of a wing room, sit outside the entrance, or flank a large institutional gateway. Imperial and temple examples can use elaborate glazed tiles. Monumental Nine-Dragon Walls turn the screen itself into a major visual object.
For an English architectural description, “screen wall” clearly states what the element does. “Spirit wall” or “spirit screen” adds a religious or folk-belief emphasis and is best used when the source actually discusses spirits, qi or geomancy.