East and west, with a hint of the taste of the Old Summer Palace! There is a special old house in Zhushikou, Beijing

There is also a parallel old street on the north side of Zhushikou East Street, and there are still some old houses, the more famous one is Courtyard 161.

This courtyard is a bit special, one is that there are multiple steps, and the other is that there are plaques for cultural relics protection hanging on the doors. People who like to study hutongs and old Beijing will naturally not let go of these special status symbols.

When I visited many years ago, the yard was still accessible. The entrance to the main gate is the second door, and the intricate brick carvings on it are amazing. What is even more surprising is that inside such a classic Chinese courtyard door, there is a Western-style courtyard hidden. In particular, the Western-style columns and exquisite Western-style carving details make people feel a hint of the taste of the Yuanmingyuan.

When looking for relevant information, I also found that some architects conducted research on the topic of "A Preliminary Study on the Influence of Western Architecture on Houses in Beijing in the Late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty- An Example of No. 161 Courtyard of Zhushikou East Street", which shows its value. As for the origin of the house, from the memoirs of some residents, we can glimpse some clues. It is said that it was once the residence of the imperial kitchen in the imperial palace, and later became the property of the church. When the Japanese invaded China, the church sold to the owner of the Danfeng match factory. The match factory later declined, and after 1949 the house was nationalized as a dormitory.

Now the house is in a state of being repaired, and it is expected that it will return to its former glory as soon as possible.