Desiring an authentic taste of traditional Beijing, Barbara Aliguero, culture director at the Italian Embassy in Beijing, has opted for an old courtyard home with few modern luxuries. Her courtyard home is restored but not modernized.
"Except facilities like heating and bathrooms, it looks like it was," Aliguero said.
Aliguero has lived as a journalist in Beijing for more than 20 years since 1981, and returned to Beijing in 2008 after spending five years as a foreign correspondent in Cairo. "My job is to bring Italian culture to China," she said.
And her interest in culture and art is visible in her courtyard house.
In her living room, the floor is covered by strongly colored Afghan carpets surrounded by big cushions from Egypt. The smell of fresh roses and a lemon tree gives the room a "hippie chic" atmosphere. Adding to the room's ambience, Chopin flows from speakers hidden behind three oversized bookshelves where hundreds of books line.
"I have read most of them, some I perused and some I brought with me from Cairo," she said.
The table in the living room is made up of 50 books stacked on top of each other, and a book titled A Panorama of Ancient Chinese Architecture in Shanxi province serves as the perfect place to rest a cup of tea.
Aliguero's home displays artifacts from all over the world. In the dining room, there is a piece of furniture from Cairo and a traditional Chinese dining table made of marble and wood.
Most of her furniture was made in the Gaobeidian furniture market in Chongwen district. "I recommend this place. The carpenters and the quality have improved so much since I first moved here," she said.
On the wall of her dining room hang four original paintings of Nicole Dufour, a Dutch painter who lived in China in the 1980s and 1990s. In another corner of the room hangs a woodcut named The beggar, made by Chinese artist Li Hua in 1947.
The turquoise kitchen reminds visitors of the southern Italian island of Capri, with light emanating from the courtyard and reflecting off the warm colors inside, giving the room a feel of the Mediterranean.
Aliguero used to live in a diplomatic compound in Sanlitun when she worked as a journalist. Now in the courtyard house, she said she feels at home. "This is the first time I feel like I live in a real home," she said. "Above me is only the sky, it's very beautiful."
Although almost all the furniture in the house is Chinese, her place still feels Italian. She said the secret lies in the colors and the atmosphere.
"The colors in my home are typical colors from southern Italy, orange for the sand and blue for the sky," she explained.
"Also, the furniture is arranged in an Italian way. Some pieces are in the middle of the room and not along the walls, that's typical Italian style. And of course me, I am Italian!"
All five rooms in the house are separated. "Not many people like this," she said and laughed. "It can be a problem when I have the kitchen in one room and the dining room in another. Hot pasta becomes cold pasta."
"But it's not easy to find these traditionally restored courtyards, so I don't complain," she said.
The hutong outside the house is typically crowded and noisy. However, silence dominates Aliguero's courtyard. One of the best aspects of living in an original hutong is the opportunity to become immersed in traditional Chinese life, she said.
"You can hear people talking in the next courtyard, hear them playing Peking Opera," she said. "During the weekends people come around to sell things like fruit or collect empty bottles. It makes me believe that not everything in China has changed and I remain a fabric of Chinese culture."
METRO reporter Alexandra Leyton Espinoza asks Ren Yechen, media specialist at Wandecheng Real Estate Agency, about renting and buying courtyard houses in Beijing.
How can I rent a courtyard house in Beijing?
Turn to a housing agency If you don't have good contacts. They will help you look for a courtyard house according to your requirements and handle potential problems with the house owner. Most foreigners have their own private translators.
If you decide on a house, we will arrange a meeting between you and the owner to discuss the contract. To sign an agreement, you should bring your passport.
What should I consider before renting a courtyard house?
You should know what kind of rights you have at the house. What you are allowed or not allowed to do. Some courtyard houses don't have a parking area.
In some houses, you can decorate the rooms in your own way.
But you need to follow some regulations, for example, the height and width of the courtyard house can't be changed.
Where can I find a courtyard house which is restored but not completely modernized?
Only 50 to 100 courtyard houses are currently available for rent. Most houses are in Dongcheng and Xicheng districts. There are 33 protected courtyard houses in the Dongsi and Jingshan areas.
Many courtyard houses available for rent are restored in a traditional Chinese way. For example, they have grey roof tiles, grey bricks and red pillars. But inside, they have facilities like heating and Western-style toilets.
How much is the rent for a courtyard house?
A courtyard house usually covers an area of between 100-1,400 sq m. Rental is between 10,000-200,000 yuan a month.
Can I buy a courtyard house? How much will it cost?
Yes foreigners can, but they have to go through security checks first at a local police station. The checks are meant to ensure that the person doesn't have a criminal record. The price of the courtyard houses range from 5 million to 400 million yuan, depending on the house and its location. The most expensive houses are in the Shichahai and Nanchizi areas.