How was the taotie design arranged to resemble two creatures facing each other?

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Chinese bronzes Bronze gu from Anyang, Henan province, China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bce); in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Mo.

The taotie design is a zoomorphic mask typically presented in a full-face view. This mask is structured so that it can be divided vertically along a central nose ridge. When split this way, the two halves reveal the profile views of two separate one-legged beasts, known as gui dragons, which appear to be confronting or facing each other.1

This intricate motif, commonly found on ancient Chinese bronzes, often incorporates a background of squared spirals called the "thunder pattern" (lei-wen) to fill the space around the mask's primary features, such as its large eyes, horns, and fangs.1