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A siheyuan (Chinese: 四合院; [sɹ̩̂.xɤ̌.ɥɛ̂n]) is a type of dwelling that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces , temples , monasteries , family businesses, and government offices.
The basic structure of Beijing Siheyuan is a courtyard surrounded by houses on four sides. Due to the city's urban layout, most hutongs in Beijing run east-west, resulting in a predominantly north-south orientation for the Siheyuan within them.
Han Chinese houses differ from place to place. In Beijing, the whole family traditionally lived together in a large rectangle-shaped house called a siheyuan. Such houses had four rooms at the front – guest room, kitchen, lavatory and servants' quarters. Across large double doors was a wing for the elderly in the family.
Throughout several millennia, architecture was influenced by the development of Chinese thought, narrowing the range of acceptable layouts closer to the mature siheyuan style. [1] As Han Chinese culture spread from out from the Yellow River Valley, dwellings in the outlying regions retained influence from the dwellings of the native cultures. [3]
Prince Gong Mansion The mansion with snow The library at the mansion Classical Suzhou gardening style A corridor at the mansion. Prince Gong's Mansion, [1] also known as the Prince Kung Mansion, is a museum and tourist attraction located in Xicheng District, Beijing, just north of the Shichahai Lake.
This is best exemplified in Siheyuan: It consisted of an empty space surrounded by buildings connected with one another either directly or through verandas. "Sky well" (天井) : Although large open courtyards are less commonly found in southern Chinese architecture, the concept of an "open space" surrounded by buildings can be seen in the ...
Their siheyuan were far smaller in scale and simpler in design and decoration, and the hutongs were narrower. [citation needed] Nearly all siheyuan had their main buildings and gates facing south for better lighting; thus a majority of hutongs run from east to west. Between the main hutongs, many tiny lanes ran north and south for convenient ...
The traditional Chinese courtyard house, (e.g. siheyuan), is an arrangement of several individual houses around a square. Each house belongs to a different family member, and additional houses are created behind this arrangement to accommodate additional family members as needed.