You bring up a good point. With the Olympics, everything in Beijing has gone through a complete makeover. I've been going there regularly for a few years, but even in that timespan the city has changed dramatically. Many of the old Hutongs have been destroyed to make way for new buildings, and the ones that are left have turned into a tourist attraction. In some places it's almost like going to Disneyland, everything starts to look like a set because they're brand new buildings built to look like the old ones they demolished. I feel very fortunate to have seen some of the original settings, but kinda sad because it's like watching a species become extinct.