Siheyuan is the traditional courtyard-style residence of Beijing. It varies in type and size, but is identical in general patter.

The houses in a Siheyuan are symmetrically built along a south-north axis. A Siheyuan that faces the south should have its entrance at the southeast corner while the entrance of those facing the north is at the northwest corner. This is conformity with the ancient Chinese customs under which these two directions are considered as lucky ones.

It is called Siheyuan because the houses in it are connected with walls and the whole complex created an enclosed square courtyard. Siheyuan is an ideal house style in north China where it is windy in winter and spring. The complex creates a unique style of its own especially when different kinds of plants are grown in the courtyard and a mat shelter is put up to screen off the sunshine in summer. The great Italian traveler, 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.