Wu Family Reception Hall

A courtyard house

Like your home, this boy's house is really many small buildings, such as the reception hall, surrounded by high walls. A person in the street sees only a long white wall. The buildings are arranged symmetrically, like the furniture in the reception hall.

The spaces between the buildings make many little courtyards that are open to the sky. Some of these courtyards are used by the servants for cooking and cleaning. Others are gardens with big, gnarled rocks and a few plants. They're tiny gardens, but it's easy to stare at the rocks and imagine that you are far away, at the base of a wild and rugged mountain.