On July 27, Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan stated in no uncertain terms that the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad? (BOCOG) and related organizations must keep economic realities in mind in preparing for the 2008 Games.

Every effort should be made to keep costs under control, he said. If design adjustments are needed to keep projects within budget, then they must be made.

Wang also directed that full use be made of existing facilities in order to minimize duplication and waste.

Furthermore, he said, standards for the newly constructed facilities should be appropriate and balanced, bearing in mind that the facilities will be used long after the 2008 Olympics are over.

In essence, Wang declared that ostentation and conspicuous consumption for their own sake are inappropriate and will not receive official support.

On July 30, construction of the National Stadium -- dubbed the "Bird's Nest" for its giant latticework structure of irregularly angled metal girders -- came to a screeching halt.

The original budget for the controversial stadium was 3.0 billion yuan (US$362 million). Within six months after construction began on December 24, 2003, reports were already appearing that the budget had escalated to 3.5 billion yuan (US$422 million).

The stadium was designed by top Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, winners of the prestigious 2001 Pritzker Architecture Prize. It was a topic of debate long before ground was broken. Criticism leveled at the stadium is similar to that aimed at other big-ticket, foreign-designed projects in the city: the designs don't harmonize with Chinese culture, the costs are sky-high and engineering and structural soundness take a back seat to innovative style.

Before Wang Qishan delivered his dictum in July, 10 leading Chinese architects reportedly submitted a petition to Premier Wen Jiabao, citing these issues and others in protest against the continued construction of the National Stadium and some other Olympic venues.

It seems that that their voices were heard.

Beijing government departments that are connected with construction of the Olympic venues are so far keeping mum about the issue. But suddenly, the once-bustling National Stadium construction site is all but a ghost town.

"Work has been suspended for three days. We heard that the blueprints have to be corrected," said a welder at the site on August 2. A dozen other workers are hanging around, watching TV or taking a stroll. One, surnamed Shi, said that he planned to return to his home province the following day because he had been told that they were to have two months of leave.

A foreman said that the workers are still doing minor jobs around the site while the suspension continues. He believed that the amendments to the blueprints would involve the steel structure, but that they would have little impact on the appearance. The foreman did not deny that the workers would be given two months' leave.

Meanwhile, construction at the nearby National Swimming Center, or "Water Cube," continues unabated.

Li Xinggang, deputy chief designer of the China Institute of Architectural Design and one of the Chinese architects who collaborated on the Bird's Nest design, admitted on August 1 that the blueprints were to be modified. However, he was unsure of any deadline for the revision.

BOCOG's Venue Planning and Construction department reports that the changes ordered by the mayor are under way, but it has little to say about changes to any other Olympic venues. Officials there say that the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission would be responsible for directing further changes.

The commission will say only that "relevant planning and design departments have the details."

Meanwhile, Mayor Wang has said that the design change was ordered not just to save money on this one structure, but also to demonstrate the need for structural reform to the city's investments.

Monies saved, he said, will be used for environmental protection and other infrastructure projects. The goal is to achieve a balance between "Great Olympics" and "New Beijing."

(China.org.cn August 5, 2004)