Beijing siheyuan

Beijing siheyuan (Chinese: 北京四合院; pinyin: Běijīng sìhéyuàn) is a type of siheyuan in used Beijing, China. Siheyuan courtyard houses originated in Beijing and is the most prevalent type of traditional Chinese courtyard residence. Due to their high density in Beijing, the term "Siheyuan" is typically synonymous with the Beijing style. Siheyuan, along with hutong, have become the most representative traditional architectural feature of Beijing.

Beijing has preserved many streets and buildings from the Yuan Dynasty, including Siheyuan. The gray-tiled houses arranged around square courtyards are visible when looking down upon the city of Beijing from above. The courtyards are often adorned with trees, providing shade and a touch of nature amidst the urban landscape.

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. The gate of a Siheyuan sitting on the north side of the alley is usually opened in the southeast of it, instead of directly opposite the south-facing main house. A Siheyuan sitting on the south side of the alley would normally open its gate on the west side of the north house.

The central courtyard of Beijing Siheyuan is very spacious and square, which contrasts it from that of a Shanxi siheyuan. The four groups of buildings surrounding the courtyard are independent of each other and are only connected by corridors, which is also a unique feature of Beijing siheyuan. In addition, architectural details such as gatehouses, screen walls, and door piers are characteristic of the Beijing style. There are several different gate formats which correspond to different sizes of Siheyuan. Most houses have simple and barely decorated roof ridges.