The da-ma, or women in their 60s or 70s, represent a heart-warming winter scene typical of Beijing's hutong.

Sporting gray woolen hats and red armbands, they talk enthusiastically about everything from neighborhood happenings to national politics - or the Olympics.

Wang Xiuyu is one of them - she has lived in the Cangjing Hutong beside the Yonghegong Lama Temple since she was married 36 years ago. Her eyes brightened when the conversation turned to the recent three-month renovation of her hutong.

"It has been here since the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911); last year, the street had potholes and was bumpy, and the whole hutong looked run down," she said. "It is good the government spent money to pave the street and fix new gray bricks on the outer walls of the houses.

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