As Beijing prepares to host athletes throughout the world to
participate in the 2008 Olympic Games, the city's Olympic new look
begins to unfold.
Of the 31 new and refurbished venues for the Olympics, the
iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium and the "Water Cube" Aquatics
Center are the landmark showpieces.
The main stadium for the Games, the National Stadium is located
at the Olympic Green, east of the city's north-south axis and to
the north, covering an area of 258,000 square meters (63.8
acres).
Its twisting structure, which gives the 91,000-seat stadium its
nickname, is made of 45,000 tons of steel. It will host the opening
and closing ceremonies, track and field events and football
finals.
The "Bird's Nest" has the world's most advanced screening and
omni-directional systems and mobile seating. It will be used for
large sports events, conventional competitions and non-competitive
events as well as provide wide-ranging entertainment and sporting
facilities to residents after the Games.
The glittering National Aquatics Center is another highlight of
the Olympic Green. It covers an area of more than 65,000 square
meters (16.1 acres) and boasts 17,000 seats. The center will be a
venue for swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and water polo
games during the Games. After the Games, the center will become a
water recreation center for the public.
Together, the two structures are the heart of the 2008 Games
layout and reflect the Chinese philosophy of harmonious balance.
The steel stadium is circular and red hued. The water-covered
swimming center is square and blue. Fire and water, masculine and
feminine. An aerial photograph of the site reveals the two key
Olympic venues forming a giant yin and yang symbol.
The north-south city axis, which runs through Tian'anmen Square,
the Forbidden City and the Drum and Bell Towers, perfectly dissects
the two modern landmarks, which are born from a mix of deep-rooted
Chinese culture and free-flowing modern ideas.
Environmentally friendly technology and materials have been used
to construct the new venues and 69 new energy "schemes" have been
implemented, including the use of solar, geothermal, waste water,
wind and other sources.
Of the 31 Beijing venues, 12 are new, 11 are older buildings
being refurbished and eight are temporary structures. Except for
the National Stadium due to be completed next March, all the venues
will be completed by the end of the year, with a total of 300,000
migrant workers making up the construction squad.
(Xinhua News Agency October 4, 2007)