Thousands of traditional houses in 40 hutong in Beijing are to be renovated by July, as part of a massive effort to improve the safety and living conditions of nearly 10,000 families.

It is the largest renovation of the old houses in Beijing since 1949.

A total of 9,635 families living in 1,474 courtyards in the hutong are involved, the municipal government said on its website on Tuesday.

The municipal authorities have allocated 250 million yuan ($33.8 million) for each of the four districts to be renovated - Dongcheng, Xicheng, Xuanwu and Chongwen.

During an inspection of the project's progress on Monday, Beijing Vice-Mayor Chen Gang said the focus will be on improving residents' heating and toilet facilities.

The authorities will also hire conservation experts to ensure the renovation work does not damage the look of hutong that so many have come to associate with the capital.

The Beijing municipal commission of urban planning and the Beijing municipal construction committee, which gave detailed guidelines for the renovation, stressed the project will preserve historical items and the look of the traditional siheyuan (courtyards).

No changes to the width or layout of the hutong will be allowed, to ensure their original appearance is maintained.

The use of old bricks and stone materials will also be encouraged to achieve traditional facades.

A worker on a renovation site in Xicheng district told Beijing News that even the new windows will be in the old style - glass in wooden frames instead of the popular aluminium alloy ones.

He said even small towns in China no longer use such wooden frames now.

But the renovation will add many new facilities to the houses too, improving people's lives.

One resident told Beijing News his renovated home benefits from an electric heating system, which saves him the trouble of relying on a coal stove that causes him to choke on hazardous fumes in winter.

New homes will also have utility meters installed to encourage residents to save energy and water.

Some courtyards will also be given new drainpipes and flush toilets.

Dongsi resident Sang Nanhua is one of those looking forward to a new home.

"In the past, it was too cold and inconvenient in the dead of winter to go out of the house and use the public toilet," Sang said.

(China Daily November 29, 2007)