Siheyuan: Preserving the soul of Beijing

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For centuries, Siheyuan were centers of family life and the lives of the common people in Beijing. These walled, individual, family worlds lay enclosed within a wider world that was itself enclosed behind a protective city wall.

Despite the emergence of a new, more cosmopolitan Beijing, the Siheyuan and their legacy remain. Their value is measured in the prices people are willing to pay today to connect with the sensibilities that the Siheyuan represent.

They are comfortable homes - closeted worlds in which families have cared for each other for centuries.

Fully-developed Siheyuan in Beijing date back as early as the Yuan Dynasty, about seven hundred years ago, and exhibit the most outstanding and fundamental characteristics of Chinese architecture.

A Siheyuan, regardless how large, is usually enclosed with four walls. A typical Siheyuan has a south-facing main room and wing rooms. Dwellers of the main room commonly had a higher social status than those living in wing rooms, which may have housed kitchens, guests, servants' quarters, studies or personal libraries.

Siheyuan occupy a rich and historical place in Beijing's culture. They represent a kind of architecture, but also serve as a window on the life of old Beijing, a kind of "encyclopedia" of the history and culture of Beijing.

Whether foreigners captivated by the spatial harmony of Siheyuan or locals who yearn for a return to the good old days, they appreciate a dwelling that is part of a holistic melody, with a rhythm and structure that has unfortunately been lost with much of contemporary architecture.