This panel proposes to present an account of courtyard culture in China from the late Qing dynasty to the near present. It will take historical analysis as a backdrop to exploring social space from the analytical perspective of the French philosopher Henri Lefebvre. It will examine what real and imagined spaces can teach us about the threads that tie a society together. How is the courtyard open to a specific level of performance? How does the courtyard produce a space where human relationships are formed? And how does the courtyard signify the unspoken parts of everyday life, which can be seen or not seen there? The Chinese courtyard has for centuries been the locus of family and community life; it provided the space to affirm the relational aspects of traditional Confucian culture. Moreover, the courtyard helped to create bonds that lasted for a lifetime. As China moved towards urbanization, the practice of people living around the square diminished, raising the question of where the locus of the new courtyard in contemporary life is located. To answer these questions, our panel will seek to offer a new and interdisciplinary approach to courtyard life through history, women’s history (family history), art, architecture, literature, and first-hand experiences.