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A?Chinese courtyard is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in?Beijing.The name literally means a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all four sides. Throughout Chinese history, the courtyard composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces, temples, monasteries, family businesses and government offices. In ancient times, a spacious courtyard would be occupied by a single, usually large and extended family, signifying wealth and prosperity. Today, many remaining courtyards are still used as housing complexes, but many lack modern amenities. Chinese courtyard house History Chinese courtyard dates back as early as the?Western Zhou?period, and has a history of over 2,000 years.?They exhibit outstanding and fundamental characteristics of Chinese architecture. They exist all across China and are the template for most Chinese architectural styles. Chinese courtyard also serves as a cultural symbol of Beijing and a window into its old ways of life. Modern Beijing‘s population boom has made housing one of city’s biggest challenges. Chinese courtyards today are typically used as housing complexes, hosting multiple families, with courtyards being developed to provide extra living space. The living conditions in many Chinese courtyards are quite poor, with very few having private toilets. In the 1990s, systematic demolition of old urban buildings took place in Beijing under rapid economic development. Many Chinese courtyards are being torn down to address the problem of overcrowding, and have been replaced by modern apartment blocks. Today The courtyard dwellings were built according to the traditional concepts of the?five elements?that were believed to compose the?universe, and the?eight diagrams?of divination. The gate was made at the southeast corner which was the “wind” corner, and the main house was built on the north side which was believed to belong to “water”, an element to prevent fire. The layout of a