If you want to feel the sense of real Beijing, walk off the main streets and visit a siheyuan. As traditional buildings, siheyuan are mostly seen in northern C. A typical (典型的) siheyuan has a big square courtyard w four buildings on all four sides. Usually, one big family lives here. The d of a siheyuan follows Confucian (儒家的）ideas of respecting the old. The northern main house gets the most sunshine, sthe oldest member of the family lives there. The east and west wing houses are for children and grandchildren. The southern building is closest to the doorway. It is usually for servants(仆人) or guests. Living under the same roof hto form a strong family bond(纽带). Every family member stays close by slaughs and cries together. Later, siheyuan developed into neighborhoods for many different families. Strangers became n. Their children became friends. When one family had p, all warm-hearted neighbors came to help.

But nowadays, m tall buildings have replaces(取代) many of these traditional, beautiful buildings. The nof siheyuan in Beijing has dropped(下降) from 40,000 in the Qing Dynasty to 3,000 today. In order to protect siheyuan, the government will collect about a thousand valuable siheyuan in The Records of Beijing Siheyuan.

Li Ruiquan:

My hometown Xi'an welcomes visitors from all over the world every year. It has the ancient (古代的) capital of China for 13 dynasties(王朝). It has a long history and rich culture. Many visitors visit it all year round. Before, I just knew it from books. I didn't actually feel its greatness until I went to the Xi'an Museum last month. There I saw buildings and treasures (珍宝) with thousands of years of history. I also learned how people lived in the ancient times by watching a video. Xi'an is my lovely hometown. I love her long history and rich culture.

Lin Tongtong:

Shenzhen is my hometown. I love her for her tolerane(包容性) of different people and cultures best. In the early days of the Chinese economic reform(经济改革), lots of people came here to work. No matter where they were from, many of them succeeded and stayed. And in the Windows of The World Park in Shenzhen, there are copies of different places of interest in the world. If you come to Shenzhen, you come to the world.

Zhang Weiwei:

There is paradise(天堂) above Suzhou and Hangzhou bellow. My hometown is the beautiful Hangzhou. Hangzhou has warm weather and nice views. I can often see tourists from everywhere taking photos beside West Lake. They all keep praising (赞扬) its beauty. I'm proud to have such a lovely hometown.

Zhang Qing:

I love my hometown Chongqing. Chongqing is famous for its food. Maybe you have not come to Chongqing yet, but you must have tries the famous Chongqing hotpot. It is spicy (辣的) and cool. Chongqing is also a city with great mountains and water views. Here, you can see the great Three Gorges(三峡). It is really amazing to row a boat in the mountain stream(河流). Last month, Chongqing was named the most attractive tourist city in China.

What makes your hometown special?

There    a sports meeting in our school next week.

   Simon's father?

   Will she get the book she buys on the Internet?