Beijing quadrangle dwellings are places where many literary celebrities record their cozy living scenes. When describing his own courtyard in Autumn Night, Mr. Lu Xun wrote, "In my back garden, one can see two trees outside the wall. One is a date palm, and the other is also a date palm." Mr. Lin Yutang's has expressed his deep love for quadrangle dwellings, "In each house there is a courtyard, and in each courtyard there is a goldfish bowl and a pomegranate tree." When he was about 40, Lao She wrote in an essay, "My ideal family should have seven small bungalows. The yard must be large, with a few small fruit trees against the wall. Except for a flat, grassless, rectangular land large enough for playing tai chi, the rest of the place would be planted with flowers and grass." In 1950, Lao She bought a small quadrangle dwelling in Fengfu Hutong and planted two persimmon trees by himself. This is why the courtyard was named "Persimmon Courtyard". Lao She lived here for 16 years. Today, you can see the home furnishings of Lao She in the Lao She Memorial Hall. Many literary masters have a fondness for quadrangle dwellings and have incorporated this deep and delicate, unbreakable emotion into their real life.

In 2011, the traditional construction techniques of Beijing quadrangle dwellings were included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The quadrangle dwellings enclose the lives of countless generations of families living in the same house. Far from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, the courtyard is a world of its own. The strong atmosphere of the marketplace brings together the most authentic human feelings. Ma Bingjian, an expert from the Expert Committee for the Protection of Beijing's Historical and Cultural Cities, said: "When you are in the courtyard and free from outside interference, the wind is yours, the rain is yours, and the snow is yours. The moon and the sun are yours, and even the chirping of insects and birds are exclusive to you."

Translated by LIU Yu