Friday, September 23, 2011

Beijing Biz Trip May 2011 Day 4 P2

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as 鸟巢, was built specially for the summer Olympics. The design, which orginated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof, giving the stadium the appearance of a bird's nest.

The stadium's design was able to cater to a capacity of 100,000 people. However, 9,000 were removed when they re-planned the sitting arrangement. 91,000 people was the capacity during the Olympic games and this figure was reduced to 80,000 when 11,000 temporary seats were removed after the games.

The stadium has since become a tourist attraction after the games, where you can pay an admission fee of 50 yuan.

Like the 5 Olympic Rings from which they draw their colour and inspiration. Fuwa served as the official mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic games, carrying a message of friendship, peace and good wishes from China to children all over the world.

Despite the sunny weather, the wind was very strong that day and I wished that I had more layers of clothing on. I had to use all my force to push myself forward as I walked from one attraction to another.

The National Aquatics Centre, also known as Water Cube (水立方) is situated just opposite the National Studium. Despite its nickname, the building is not an actual cube, but a cuboid.

The driver told me that I should visit both the Water Cube and Bird's Nest at night, for a different experience, as both structures would glow under the various lighting - that, I'll save it for another trip, with Leecher if possible :)

The Olympic torch that was moved down from the top of the stadium, placed near the Ling Long Tower so visitors can see it up close.

Apparently, the 45 ton structure, measuring 105ft long and 40ft wide, require 800 cranes to move it.

As I walked out of the park, I saw peddlers still trying to sell the Olympic mascots to visitors, hoping to make a quick buck, 3 years after the games had ended.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails