How did ancient buildings achieve ventilation and cooling?

Ancient buildings were made of wood and had good ventilation, so we sometimes feel cooler in ancient houses than in modern buildings. During the pre-Qin period, "grotto rooms" already appeared, in which buildings were cut into the basement for hiding wine and cool entertainment. High-end caves contained ice, the modern equivalent of "air-conditioned rooms" with refrigeration equipment.

During the Tang Dynasty, "cool houses" were built in Chang'an and other places to escape the summer heat, with the help of water circulation, blowing cool air from the water into the house, or forming artificial water curtains on the roof to bring cool air into the house. In addition, when the building used for summer vacation was constructed, it would minimize the direct sunlight into the house to keep the interior cool; or it would be shaded by other houses and trees to avoid the sunlight. Those who had the means to do so would build "water air-conditioners" inside their houses, connecting underground water to the house so that the cold air from the water would enter the house.

In the overall construction of the building, the roof tiles would leave gaps, which would allow the air to circulate in and out of the house in the summer, creating a natural wind to keep the house cool. Ancient houses more centralized establishment, will form a patio between the houses, the patio can ensure that the sunlight does not come in, but also in time to drive away the hot air, the formation of wind through the hall in the house. Through the wind is mainly the patio, corridors, hall with the introduction of cold air from the patio, through the indoor corridors as well as the hall between the houses to form air convection, and ultimately solve the ventilation problem.

It is also common to see in TV dramas that emperors would use ice cubes to relieve summer heat, placing ice cubes in the houses and servants fanning them with fans to keep the house cool. There were also fruits placed in water wells to be chilled to quench the summer heat and quench the thirst. In addition, especially in the south, the mansion more running water, plants, can also play a shade to avoid the effect of summer heat.