Siheyuan

A siheyuan (“courtyard enclosed on four sides”) is the classic house of northern China and above all of Beijing, where whole neighbourhoods of them line the hutong lanes. Its grey-brick walls are blank to the street; you enter through a single gate, traditionally in the south-east corner, and a screen wall just inside blocks the view in. The main hall on the north side faces south toward the sun and was kept for the senior generation, with the side wings for younger family members and the courtyard itself as a shared space with trees and potted plants. Wealthy families joined several courtyards one behind another, and princely mansions grew them into palaces with gardens. Today many siheyuan are shared by several households, and some have been restored as museums, cafés or courtyard hotels where visitors can stay.