Courtyard Houses (四合院) today

Rectangular courtyard houses are one of the many things Beijing is famous for. Unfortunately many have already been torn down, and many that remain do not look the way they are supposed to. Here is a view looking north from the Drum Tower (鼓樓) over the houses near the Bell Tower (鐘樓).

There are hardly any open courtyards that look like the model – because the courtyards have mostly been filled up by shabby additions.

I peeked into some of the courtyards and these are some of the things that I found.