Chinanews, Beijing, Aug 27 – How to protect the quadrangle dwellings (Siheyuan) in Beijing has always been widely concerned about by Chinese people at home and abroad. Recently, Beijing local government wrote a letter to hundreds of residents who live near Shichahai, a famous tourist sight in Beijing where groups of typical Beijing quadrangle dwellings are located. The letter says that local government intends to invest a sum of money to renovate a batch of old houses. All the renovated houses will be rebuilt with blue bricks and gray tiles, in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).The renovation is part of the renovation project that Beijing municipal government intends to undertake before the 2008 Olympic Games. All houses built in ten lanes near Shichahai, including Dashihu, Huazhi and Liuhai lanes, will be refurbished. The renovation work will benefit hundreds of residents living in these quadrangle houses. During the renovation, all the old houses will be torn down and rebuilt with new materials. However, their original structure will be retained. The outer wall that surrounds these houses and faces the street will also be rebuilt according to historical design.Mr. Li lives in an old bungalow house in Dashihu Lane. Being already 70 years old now, he still lives under the same roof with his forty-year-old daughter. Their house, altogether two rooms, measures only 20 square meters in total.“After we move out, we will sign an agreement with the district housing management office, which will guarantee that our houses will be renovated well in two months. By then, we can move back to a brand-new house. However, the total area of the house will not be changed much,”he said.After the renovation, the old buildings in Shichahai and buildings near it, including Chunwangfu (Palace of Prince Chun) in Houhai, Gongwangfu Garden (Palace of Prince Gong) in Qianhai, Soong Ching Ling's (Madame Sun Yat-Sen's) residence, and buildings in Zhonggulou and Yindingqiao will conform with each other in their ancient architectural style. The renovation work is expected to be completed by June next year.In addition to the renovation work in Shichahai, Beijing also intends to reconstruct the buildings in other historical areas as well. They include the buildings in Baitasi, Dashilan, Xianyukou, Yuhe and Sanyanjing areas. Based on experts' suggestions and Beijing municipal government's policies, after the renovation all the hidden risks related with the construction of the buildings will be removed. In regard to places where large areas of quadrangle dwellings and ancient lanes are well preserved, the government will work out an overall plan for their protection.