Olympiad In Beijing On August 8
The Beijing Olympics has been designed to showcase everything that is great and grand about China, and there is no doubt that it will. The opening ceremony on 08/08/08 will begin at exactly 08:08:08 pm to take full advantage of the number the Chinese people consider the luckiest. But they are not leaving everything to chance. The citys massive multi-billion dollar building spree is unprecedented for any city in modern times.
The city already has many fascinating historic attractions such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The new masterpieces of futuristic design will make Beijing an even more appealing. For years it has seemed as if most development was happening in Shanghai, but Beijing is now catching up.
Top of the list of the new attractions is the Olympic Stadium, which resembles a massive bird's nest. With a capacity of 100,000 people during the games, the stadium cost 500 million US dollars to build. This is where the popular opening and closing ceremonies will take place, as well as the athletic events.
Alongside it is another strikingly futuristic building, the swimming and diving arena. Known as "the water cube", it is designed like a box, but juxtaposed with structures that mirror an arrangement of organic cells in the natural formation of soap bubbles. Not since the Barcelona Olympics, where the diving board was set against a backdrop of the city below, has there been such a stunning arena for the water sports fraternity.
Another eye-catching design is that for the headquarters of the country's television corporation, CCTV. The Olympics will be beamed to the world from one of the most original buildings on the planet. Two 'L' shaped high-rise towers are linked at the top and the bottom at an angle to form a loop, which has been described as a 'Z' criss-cross. Nothing like it has ever been designed before, and it has revolutionised the construction of skyscrapers. Costing more than 750 million dollars, the buildings accommodate more than 10,000 people.
The five million sports fans expected in Beijing next month will experience the new look Beijing from the moment they step off their aircraft. A massive new airport terminal, designed in the shape of a dragon, promises to provide passengers with a relaxing, efficient travel experience. Designed by famous British architect Norman Foster, it will be able to handle 76 million passengers a year, compared to the 53 million passengers last year.
Not only sports lovers have been looked after during the citys re-incarnation. Beijing also has a new opera house. Officially known as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the building is more popularly called "The Egg". Made of titanium and glass and shaped like a dome, it seats 6,500 people in three halls. Considered controversial because of its location close to Tiananmen Square, signs are that it will become one of the great opera stages in the world.
By: Roy
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