Alessandro Digaetano Photographer

Beijing is speeding up efforts to revamp centuries-old historic sites and the city's symbolic Hutong in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games..In the last ten the Hutong area was rapidly disappearing, replaced by modern apartments and stores. Siheyuan previously owned by one family became a compound occupied by many households so almost all of them deteriorated, and the conditions of the Hutong worsened..To maintain the original style of Beijing's Hutong, the city recently adopted a special policy on their environmental protection to guide restoration work. The walls and rooms of a Hutong must be painted a typical grey color and be built with traditional materials, while the layout should be maintained in its original form. Actually seems that mostly western are interested in the Hutong than the local people. *** Local Caption *** Common people's hutong at Baochan Hutong. Many of the local eople decided to renew their home because they were born there or because they think tourist visit Beijing because Hutong and not skyscrapers. They receive founds from the municipality for this. In this case they preserv the shape of the hutong using wood instead concrete and thay save also the windows. The structure is the same, they just rebuild it with the new bricks.