Beach volleyball was perhaps one of the prettiest events at last year's Beijing Opympics. And the training site in Chaoyang Park is now open to the public. This is the third Olympic venue to be put to commercial use, after the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.
The post-Olympic use of Beijing's sports venues has been a subject of hot debate. Construction of the Bird's Nest cost about 3-and-a-half billion yuan, or about 425 million US dollars. Annual maintenance is over 170 million yuan. Turning the stadium into a profitable venue for major sporting events and performances was always seen as a challenge. But the 2 landmarks have generated a great deal of income from ticket and merchandise sales, sporting events and performances.
Coconut trees, sparkling water and a soft, sandy beach. You'd be forgiven if you thought you were taking in the sun on a tropical beach. But in fact we are in North Beijing's Chaoyang Park. Once a beach volleyball training site during last year's Olympics, the place is now open to the public. And the 25 thousand square meter playground is giving people here a short cut to summer pleasures.
