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In traditional Chinese domestic architecture, the central, main room of the home functions as the family temple. In this room, the altar and related furniture is placed against the wall facing the entrance of the room, which opens onto the courtyard. Usually, in small houses, this room was multi-functional, serving as both living and dining rooms; in larger compounds, this room serves as family shrine and formal reception hall. With multistory dwellings, there did not seem to be a standard solution, but the altar tended to be found in the main room, often defined by the room with the television set before multiple household sets became common.