With the Olympics looming ahead, a large number of international visitors have already arrived to get a taste of traditional folk culture in this dynamic city. Instead of staying in humdrum star-rated hotels, they have chosen to live with local residents.

Through an "Olympic Family Hotel" program sponsored by the Beijing municipal government, overseas guests can take a closer look at the day-to-day life of ordinary Beijing families.

Berlin visitors Peter Voigt and Simone Teuber have just arrived in Beijing, and checked into a siheyuan, a traditional courtyard home, in the city's Shichahai area on Tuesday.

They are among the first group of foreign visitors to stay in one of the designated Olympic family hotels since the program began earlier this month.

Voigt said he and his girlfriend chose to stay in the hutong-style home because they were interested in its profound culture.

"We decided to stay in a hutong, not in a big quarter, because we want to be next to the Chinese history. We want to spend our holidays in a quite and nice place like this. You can see the traditional Chinese architecture here."

Besides the special atmosphere, he also felt a strong sense of hospitality from the hosts of the siheyuan. He said he had no problems communicating with them, despite the language barrier.

During their stay in Beijing, the couple plans to visit some of the city's popular historical sites.

"Today, we are going to the Forbidden City. Tomorrow, we will go to the Great Wall. We want to see the Chinese culture."

The host of the house, Jing Jichang, has lived in his courtyard home for over fifty years. Since retiring, he has found a new profession, as a tour guide for visitors to his home. Jin says his family has lived in the hutong for four generations. Their home is one of the best-preserved estates in the area.

Jing says his family has made extensive preparations, along with brushing up on their English skills. He had refurnished parts of the apartment to ensure that his guests feel as comfortable as possible.

"Since China's successful bid for the Olympics, we have been upgrading the facilities of our house. To better serve guests from around the world, we have added Western toilets in the bathroom and exchanged our electric water heater for a bigger one. We also equipped our rooms with toasters and computers, and set up a wireless network so guests can surf the Internet."

Jing's wife, Wang Zhixi, says she is thrilled to receive guests from different countries of the world.

If the guests want her to, she will buy some local specialties for them and guide them around the hutongs.