A plate painted with "Olympic Homestay" is shown at Zhu Baohua's home in Shichahai, downtown Beijing, July 11, 2008. [Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Zhu Baohua beamed proudly as he showed a group of American visitors a century-old wooden bed in his house.

Zhu, in his fifties, is the owner of a siheyuan, a traditional courtyard home in downtown Beijing. He was among 598 Beijing homeowners selected as an Olympic host by the city tourism administration on Friday.

The administration initiated the homestay program in April, offering overseas visitors a chance to get to the heart of the Beijing life.

As a supplement to the city's hotels, these households could offer 726 rooms for more than 1,000 visitors, said Xiong Yumei, deputy director of Beijing Tourism Administration.

Most of the families lived near major stadiums, trunk roads, cultural sites and hutongs, or alleyways, making it easy for visitors to enjoy the capital, Xiong said.

Before selecting the families, officials inspected ventilation, lighting, fire safety and sanitation conditions to make sure they met requirements.

Officials recommended rates at US$60 to US$80 for each bed per night, but said individual rates could be negotiated between the visitors and the landlords.

For Beijing natives like Zhu, hosting overseas tourists is not only a chance to make a little cash, but also a chance to share his culture.

Zhu's house was bought by his family in the early 1900s. In 2004, he spent more than 4 million yuan (US$585,138) on renovations:"westernizing" the toilet, installing air conditioning and high-definition televisions.