May 21, 1989

LEAD: In the view of some discriminating New Yorkers, owning and living in an old firehouse is the statement about your knowledge of the city and its housing nuances. Firehouses are comfortable, roomy, often historic and relatively rare, which makes them highly desirable.

LEAD: When a small convoy of military trucks used to launch tear gas and to spray water on rioters rolled through eastern Beijing early this morning, the soldiers met their first unexpected challenge. An old woman street cleaner rushed up and lay down on the road in front of the trucks.

LEAD: Among the problems facing those who wish to alter their landmarked buildings, or even their individual apartments, in structures in historic districts is the repair or replacement of windows. Such changes must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

LEAD: ALTHOUGH their banners call for such profoundly un-Maoist goals as a free press and elections, the students' challenge to the Communist Party leadership in Beijing owes a debt to Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. In the late 1960's, it was Mao who unleashed bands of youthful Red Guards to oust many of his rivals.

LEAD: With a new surge of investment abroad, many American companies are shedding the banner of a national identity and proclaiming themselves to be global enterprises whose fortunes are no longer so dependent on the economy of the United States.