Siheyuan: the traditional courtyard-style residence of Beijing

Siheyuan is the traditional courtyard-style residence of Beijing. This architectural style is world-famous for its unsophisticatedness and elegance as well as its unique artistic attainment. It is called siheyuan because the houses in it are constructed in such a way that zhengfang (the main house), xiangfang (the wing houses) and daozuo (house facing the main house) are connected with walls and that the whole complex creates an enclosed square courtyard. It has been several hundred years since this kind of architectural form took shape. In the late years of the Jin Dynasty (1115---1234 A. D.), Zhongdu (then the capital) suffered from severe damages and became desolate. The new capital city Dadu of the Yuan Dynasty (1271---1368 A. D.) was constructed to the northeast of Zhongdu and in the meantime siheyuan, a new style of residential houses, shaped and developed. The great Italian traveller, Marco Polo, once praised the ingenious and elegant design of this highly original house style created by ancient Chinese people as beyond description of any language. wish.1155815.com

Most of the siheyuan which were built during the Yuan Dynasty no longer exist because of old age. The existing ones are mostly from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368---1911 A. D.) and the time of the Republic of China (1912---1949 A.D.).  中华民俗节庆网

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