The hutongs around Shichahai Lake will undergo a large-scale refit this year.

A total of 19.83 million yuan (US$2.4 million) will be spent giving the alleyways in the district a facelift.

Underground pipes and Internet access will be installed, and decorative street lamps erected by the side of the lake.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of August, the Beijing News reports.

Hutongs are urban lanes unique to Beijing, mostly dating back to the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Grand hutongs located along the eastern and western sides of the Imperial Palace, stretching from north to south, were once inhabited by noblemen and members of the royal family. The more humble ones were located far from the northern and southern ends of the Imperial Palace and were where the common people resided.

Since the implementation of the reform and opening policies, tremendous changes have taken place in Beijing. Many hutongs have been replaced by modern buildings. Even so, hutongs still account for one-third of the total area of urban Beijing, and are home to nearly half of the city's population. At present, the municipal government of Beijing has become more and more conscious of the importance of protecting the surviving hutongs, which are not only historical and ancestral heritage, but also living culture.

(China Daily, China.org.cn  March 29, 2005)