It's better than California beach house

By Wang Ru (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-17 09:56

Last summer the McKean family and their two dogs finally moved into their dream home, a 400-sq-m four-bedroom courtyard house, or siheyuan, in northeast Beijing's Chaoyang district.

Shelby McKean relaxes in her closed courtyard. [China Daily]

From the moment the American couple and their three daughters moved in, Shelby, 39, and her husband Todd, 41, found their passion for traditional Chinese culture transformed into a way of life.

Their new home, reached by driving the Jingcheng expressway, then heading to Hegezhuang village, is only a stone's throw from the popular Orchard restaurant and a 10-minute drive from 798 art district.

Its inner courtyard is accessed by stepping through a classical red front gate, then a grey wooden gate several hundred years old, which is just one part of their collection.

"We bought it from a Chinese friend who opened an antique shop in Guangzhou. He told us to put the gate here according to the customs of fengshui, saying it will stop any evil and bring health," said Shelby, who has lived in China for 16 years with her husband.

It's better than California beach house

"The gate, which is my favorite, functions like a folding screen to block the direct view from outside into the living courtyard and rooms," she said.

The floor of the whole courtyard is laid with blue bricks. A floor heating system and glass roof bring warmth and sunshine to the indoor courtyard on a cold winter's morning.

Shelby, a freelance writer, likes reading novels on the white sofa in the living courtyard. If an inspiration hits her, she can write it down in her own quiet writing office outfitted with an Apple computer.

Husband Todd is passionate about outdoor sports, especially cycling. In the corner of the courtyard, the former manager of a Nike production plant in Guangzhou now has his own "factory" - a closet filled with his tools and bicycle components.

Another room, nicknamed "man cave" by Shelby, stores Todd's precious sport bicycles, headgear, trophies and a photo of two cycling enthusiasts smiling together: Todd and former US president George W. Bush.

Five years ago, Todd sold his consulting company in Guangzhou and settled down with his family in Beijing. To live in a courtyard house has been their dream.

After hearing of the courtyard project in Hegezhuang village, the couple signed a three-year contract in April to rent the home. They decided to outfit the courtyard house in a harmonious combination of traditional Chinese furnishings and multifunctional modernity.

Fine wood furniture throughout the courtyard house is part of their collection acquired over many years living in China. When the couple travels to their home in California, they take their wooden tables, chairs, mirror and cabinets with them.

The courtyard house, with rustic wooden doors and window frames, has the most up-to-date amenities, including broadband, cable TV and a solar heating system. Almost every room including the kitchen has an Apple computer.

In the big Western-style enclosed kitchen, Shelby enjoys the time surfing the Internet while sipping a cup of coffee. In a separate traditional open kitchen, their ayi makes Chinese dishes for the family of five.

Each of their daughters, who all study at the international school Western Academy of Beijing, has her own cozy bedroom along with a study room surrounded by green or orange walls and a white ceiling supported by wood frames.

The dining space for the family is in a hallway that divides the courtyard house. They eat evening meals while sitting around a traditional Chinese wooden table with long benches. Next to the hall, the open courtyard provides a patch of space to enjoy the sunshine pouring in at noon.

A dressing closet and a pantry supply the family with the finer details of life. A large screen for watching movies hangs on a brick wall on the other side of the courtyard.

"It is a new community, and we are the first renters," said Shelby, who added that she and her family like living with the local villagers. "Living here feels like home, and it is a real home better than a beach house in California. We hope that we can live here as long as possible."