The Meridian Gate 500-year-old Embrasured Watchtower has been renovated several times and is in good condition.

Construction in Beijing has maintained its alarming speed over the past decades, and the successful 2008 Olympics bid has accelerated it further, as well as giving birth to the "Olympics Project."

The Beijing Olympics will compete in 28 sports events and need 37 competition sites, 32 of which will be located in Beijing, and eight that will be newly built. According to Huang Yan, between 2001 and 2005 Beijing will invest 180 billion yuan (approximately US $22.5 billion) in infrastructure, transportation, environmental protection, river system harnessing, sewage treatment, an urban greening project, water and electricity supplies, and information processing systems.

As regards transportation, Beijing will build 11 expressways that will cross the city's ring roads to form a radiating road network. By 2008 Beijing will also have built seven rail routes and extended its present rail mileage from 54 kilometers to 200 kilometers. Ms. Huang is confident that by then transportation in Beijing will be greatly improved.

As regards environmental protection, Beijing will concentrate its efforts on building sewage treatment plants, and erecting a green buffer belt around the city. Beijing currently has four sewage treatment plants. The city's daily water usage is 2.5 million tons, and the treatment rate is 40 percent. There are plans to build 12 more treatment plants before 2008, by which time all waste water will be treated and reused to water trees and plants, to wash cars, and put in the city's scenic lakes. Beijing will also build a 240-square-kilometer green buffer belt between the fourth and fifth ring roads.

After 50 years of urban construction, Beijing people have learned their lesson and are keenly aware of the value of their old city. The old urban area covers 62 square kilometers, and Huang Yan says that it will be difficult to keep the old city entirely intact, as it also needs development and construction. The key of protection has been given to the basic layout, the imperial city, the urban central axis area and water systems, 25 historic and cultural preservation sections, and cultural relic sites listed under national, municipal and district protection. In total, the protected area will cover 37 percent of the old city. Meanwhile, all the industrial enterprises within the fourth ring road will be gradually moved out.

A newly built archway on Qianmen Street.

To protect the facade of old Beijing, the municipal government has made clear stipulations regarding renovation of dilapidated houses in the old neighborhoods. No real estate development is allowed in these areas, and renovation of such neighborhoods will be government projects conducted after soliciting renovation plans and opinions from local residents. The work at Nanchizi, next to the imperial city, is being conducted in this way.

In 1949 Beijing's population numbered 2.09 million, and by 2000 this figure had increased to 13.8 million. To reduce population pressure and meet the needs of development and preservation of the old city, in recent years Beijing has adopted a population evacuation policy, and will build 10 outskirts groups and 14 satellite towns. Each satellite town will house 250,000-400,000 residents.