Paifang (Pailou, arch, ornamental archway), which can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period during Eastern Zhou Dynasty, is a traditional Chinese architectural form like an archway. A wooden or stone Paifang is built mainly to commemorate the great achievements or loftiness of a family's ancestors. It is often erected in front of a tomb, temple, and ancestral hall or along the road. Many beautiful lucky birds or beasts, exquisite flower patterns, or characters written by celebrities are carved on the arch.

Paifang can be divided into three types according to different functions. Loyalty Paifang is used to record a person's merit or great deeds. Chastity Paifang is built to honor a widow's loyalty to her deceased husband. Other Paifang may contain little deep meaning; serving only as a symbol of a street or a village.

Outside of China, Paifang has long been the symbol of Chinatowns.