What did the government do to boost the athleticism and health of the resident? (Para. 3-4) 3 Not long after I moved into Little Jue’er, Beijing stepped up its campaign to host the 2008 Games, and traces of Olympic glory began to touch the hutong . In order to boost the athleticism and health of average Beijing residents, the government constructed hundreds of outdoor exercise stations. At the exercise stations, people can spin giant wheels with their hands, push big levers that offer no resistance, and swing on pendulums like children at a park. In the greater Beijing region, the stations are everywhere, even in tiny farming villages by the Great Wall. 4 But nobody appreciates the exercise stations more than hutong residents. The machines are scattered throughout old parts of the city, tucked into narrow alleyways. At dawn and dusk, they are especially busy — older people meet in groups to chat and take a few rounds on the pendulum. On warm evenings, men sit idly on the machines and smoke cigarettes. The workout stations are perfect for the ultimate hutong sport: hanging around in the street with the neighbors.