What colors were buildings in ancient China painted, what did they mean?

The tradition of color permeates all of Chinese culture, history and even modern life. The color of heaven was considered black, the color of mourning was white, the color of wealth and prosperity was yellow (the color of gold). Red was associated with joy, summer, warmth, and also symbolized fire, blood, justice. Only the houses of the emperor and members of the royal family close to him could have red walls and roofs, with yellow tiles. Ordinary Chinese had blue walls and blue tile roofs. Imperial palaces, temples, altars were often painted yellow.