Zhu's house was bought by his family in the early 1900s. In 2004, he spent more than 4 million yuan (579,710 U.S. dollars) on renovations:"westernizing" the toilet, installing air conditioning and high-definition televisions.

"The whole family are learning the history of siheyuan and hutong. We are professional tour guides now," Zhu said. He also invited his nephews, nieces and their friends who speak English to translate for visitors.

On Sunday, the Zhu family received dozens of foreign tourists who come to see the home.

"In your constitution, you have the pursuit of happiness. Although our cultures are different, we do have a lot in common," a nephew, Zhao Dongyan, told some U.S. visitors, pointing to a red Chinese character "Fu", which translates to blessing or happiness.

"I'm improving my English, so that I can explain better when more visitors come during the Olympics," said Zhao, a new college graduate.

Like the Zhu family, other hosts are preparing to receive guests.

Wang Zhixi, in her fifties, owns a smaller siheyuan near Zhu's. She and her husband are seizing every chance to learn English so that they can tell foreigners about siheyuan.

"My guests ask a lot of questions about siheyuan. For example, they asked why homes were built in all four directions in such crowded spaces," she said. "I told them Chinese families like to live together and it's a way of seeking calm and tranquility in a noisy world."

Wang also had experience hosting overseas visitors. She is currently hosting a French reporter with her 11-month-old son and her mother.