When Zhang first moved to No. 51, it was a three-courtyard siheyuan. But he thought one family occupying three courtyards was too luxurious, so he took the front and middle siheyuan as his family's residence, and left the back one for others to live in.

Neighboring 51, No. 53 also claims its historical connection as the old residence of the eunuch Li Lianying in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). With a pair of huge stone lions on either side of the red lantern-decorated gate, this showy place is no longer original. Although today's No.53 is still in the traditional layout of a two-courtyard siheyuan, a staff member inside told that this two-courtyard siheyuan has been renovated many times and is dramatically different than it was before.