Deep and serene Hutongs are in nature formed by courtyard walls connected one another on both sides Inside the wall are Siheyuan, the traditional residences of Beijing residents. In the past in Beijing, the disparity of different classes was clear at a first glance of their residences: the imperial family living in the Forbidden City with yellow called-tile roofs, princes and dukes in mansions with green glazed-tile roofs, the rich in square courtyard and the working people in humble compounds shared by many households.

A standard Siheyuan in Beijing usually consists of houses on its four sides, with a courtyard formed at the center. There is no window or passage to the Hutong except the front gate, usually set at the southeastern corner. When the door is closed, the Siheyuan becomes an independent quiet world. Different from the small residences in the south of Yangtze River, the courtyards in Beijing are capacious and bright. Houses on its four sides are relatively independent and connecting with each other by a corridor.

In China people like their houses facing the south in order to get enough sunshine, and most of Beijing’s quadrangles were built so. Normally there is a screen-wall inside the gate.. The house which stands at the north end and faces the south is called the “main house” or “north house”, the ones on both sides are called “wing houses”, and the one which stands at the south end and faces north is called “opposite house” or “south house”. Usually a whole family lives in compound. The elder generation lives in the main house, the younger generation live in the side houses, and the south house usually serves as a sitting room or study.

According to their size and style, Siheyuan can be divided into three groups, the big, the medium and the small. The small ones of ordinary people have only one courtyard, yet the mansion of titled or very rich family would have two or more courtyards, one behind another, with trees and flowers planted or bird and fish bred in the courtyard.

Time rolls on. Nowadays many Siheyuan have been replaced by newly built residential buildings to provide better accommodation for Beijing people. However, in the 2nd Ring Road, two complete areas of Siheyuan, totaling about 400,00 in number, are still in sound preservation. There tourists can still have a good meditation on the ancient Chinese architecture.

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