A major avenue of Beijing for hundreds of years, Andingmen Inner Street is under renovation to restore the unique style of Beijing's traditional architecture.

The walls and roofs of the buildings are covered with gray tiles. Red doors, green wooden lintels and beams are painted with colorful pictures, the typical elements of Beijing's ancient architecture.

The renovations - centered on 215 shops, 92 residential dwellings and 15 hutong, or alleyways - began in July, and the work is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of Sept. The project has been funded entirely by the local government.