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ancestral worship. When the head of the household had concubines, the wife would reside in the room to the eastern end of the main house, while the concubines would reside in the room to the western end of the main house. The eldest son of the family and his wife would reside in the eastern side house, while the younger son and his wife would reside in the western side house. If a grandson was fully grown, he would reside in the opposite house in the south. Unmarried daughters would always reside in the backside building behind the main house.
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center line in the main house. If the deceased was the concubine of the head of the household, her casket would remain in the main house, but could not be in the center. If the deceased is a younger male, then his casket is placed on the center line of the courtyard. If the deceased is a younger female, her casket is placed in the courtyard but cannot be on the center line.
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ostensibly many of the features of the traditional
Beijing house, but using modern techniques and concrete blocks with 'faux' brick facing instead of the traditional carefully laid wide grey Chinese bricks; plastic coated window frames and beams instead of the traditional wood ones coated in natural wood lacquer.
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has been developed as a villa product in large scale planned residential communities of China. These new siheyuan are located in new housing development areas of
Beijing. In the historic center of Beijing modern siheyuans have been constructed in the period since 2005 using the courtyard concept and
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period, and has a history of over 2,000 years. They exhibit outstanding and fundamental characteristics of
Chinese architecture. They exist all across China and are the template for most Chinese architectural styles. Siheyuan also serves as a cultural symbol of Beijing and a window into its old ways
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Modern
Beijing's population boom has made housing one of city's biggest challenges. Siheyuan today are typically used as housing complexes, hosting multiple families, with courtyards being developed to provide extra living space. The living conditions in many siheyuan are quite poor, with very few
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When a funeral is held in a siheyuan, the location of the casket depends on the status of the deceased, but all caskets are oriented so that the head of the deceased points south while the feet point north. If the deceased is the head of the household or his wife, then the casket would be on the
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of the owner or head of the family. The eastern and western side buildings receive less, and serve as the rooms for children or less important members of the family. The southern building receives the least sunlight (it is the most shaded by the walls of the siheyuan), and usually functions as a
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in 2008 estimates that there are still about 400,000 residential courtyards remaining in
Beijing. The sales market of siheyuan has also been booming in recent years. A report in 2005 finds there are usually around 7,000 to 9,000 residential siheyuans that are on the market for sale, and many are
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A more detailed and further stratified
Confucian order was followed in ancient China. The main house in the north was assigned to the eldest member of the family, i.e. the head of the family, usually grandparents. If the main house had enough rooms, a central room would serve as a shrine for
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According to the
Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, there are over 500 historic courtyards preserved in the Cultural and Historical Conservation Areas as important cultural monuments. Many of these are public museums, and preserved historical siheyuans include
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793:, the opposite is true. In southern China, the houses are built with multiple stories. In the northeast, land is abundant but the weather is cold, so courtyards are built broad and large to increase the exposure to sunlight, and there are more open areas inside the walls.
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generally priced at 7,000 to 10,000 yuan per square meter. However, the prices vary based on the area and the market. For residential siheyuans in the
Dongcheng and Xicheng districts in 2009, the prices can go up to 40,000 yuan per square meter. For siheyuans near the
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Though from antiquity, a siheyuan is a practically sound, engineered structure. Northwestern walls are usually higher than the other walls to protect the inside buildings from the harsh winds blowing across
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are often placed outside the gate. Some large siheyuan compounds would have two or more layers of courtyards and even private gardens attached to them. Such is a sign of wealth and status in ancient times.
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The four buildings of a siheyuan are normally positioned along the north–south and east–west axis. The building positioned to the north and facing the south is considered the main house (
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area, the prices can go up to between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan per square meter. A 2,000 square meter siheyuan near the
Shichahai area was sold for 40 million yuan ($ 6 million) in 2005.
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divides the courtyard into several big and small spaces that are not very distant from each other. Family members talked with each other here, creating a cordial atmosphere.
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A traditional-style hotel in
Beijing. Some of Beijing's historic siheyuans have been purchased and renovated by hotel chains and now function as hotels.
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and female servants: because unmarried girls were not allowed direct exposure to the public, they occupied the most secluded building in the siheyuan.
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and the servants' dwelling, or where the family would gather to relax, eat or study. The backside building is for unmarried
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A gate into a siheyuan; the style of the gate indicates that it belongs to a lower-middle class urban family.
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viewed from a distance; this area is known for its concentration of historic siheyuans (courtyard houses).
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Modern courtyard house built as an extension to an old courtyard house, in rural Shanxi Province, 2017
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are very strong, courtyard walls tend to be higher. The shapes of siheyuan are also altered: in
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The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
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is ridged to provide shade in the summer while retaining warmth in the winter.
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Siheyuan belonging to the wealthy usually feature an elaborate doorway
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on it, is usually at the southeastern corner. Normally, there is a
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will flow along the curve rather than dropping straight down. The
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The layout of a simple courtyard represents traditional Chinese
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surrounded by buildings on all four sides. It also appears in
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Best practices on social sustainability in historic districts
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View of a section of a siheyuan neighborhood in Beijing
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The entrance gate, usually painted vermilion and with
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1077:"Chinese-style villas emerge in market"
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1085:. September 24, 2004
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561:Memorial,
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70:July 2022
58:verifying
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680:universe
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448:Memorial
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310:sìhéyuàn
290:siheyuan
234:Jyutping
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160:sìhéyuàn
114:siheyuan
112:A model
97:Siheyuan
791:Sichuan
779:Qinghai
763:veranda
759:flowers
751:privacy
744:rooftop
711:bedroom
703:Beijing
567:Lao She
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544:Present
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446:Mao Dun
398:toilets
383:History
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52:Please
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840:&
828:Hutong
755:plants
664:yǐngbì
645:copper
576:Houhai
551:Lu Xun
307::
305:pinyin
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278:Yunnan
847:Tulou
801:style
775:Gansu
692:water
354:is a
347:Names
319:China
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797:Neo-
709:and
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633:后罩房
623:倒座房
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300:四合院
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56:by
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