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Published: December 20th 2011
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Bird's Nest
Built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the stadium cost $423 million to construct. Today was a more low-key day and I (and my legs) am thankful for it! We started off by heading to Olympic Park. We had driven by the Bird's Nest, as the Stadium is called, several times already, and were looking forward to seeing it close-up.
Olympic park is HUGE and was completely built in about four years to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the height of construction nearly 17,000 workers worked on the stadium. The 100,000 tons of steel used to construct the stadium was all manufactured in China. 7800 square meters of grass for the field was laid in 24 hours.
The Bird's Nest cost $423 million (US) to construct and was designed by two Swiss architects based on studying Chinese ceramics. The stadium currently seats 80,000 people (321 less than Camp Randall). The "green" design of the stadium collects rainwater for purification and use. Pipes under the playing field carry warm water to heat the stadium in the winter and cool it in the summer. Currently the stadium houses a "winter wonderland" on the field, where snow machines generate tons of the white stuff for children and adults to play in- there is even a
Water Cube
The walls and ceilings are essentially plastic bags filled with air to maintain a consistent temperature while also allowing in ample light. mini-golf course in the snow!
Although we see street sweepers everwhere, and have even seen workers wiping down signs along the highway, Olympic park already seems to be in disrepair less than four years after its opening. Paint is peeling and the inside of the buildings have a run-down feeling- very sad for such a large undertaking, but I guess you can't have both speed and quality at a reasonable price.
We also visited the inside of the Water Cube, which housed the water events for the Olympics. At $51 million (US) this building was a bargain compared to the Bird's Nest! Now the pools are open to the public, or have been turned into entertainment venues and an indoor water park.
After exhausting the grounds of Olympic park, we headed for lunch. We again had a Thai lunch, and I again chose items new to me, in addition to a coconut chicken soup similar to one I had made before. Lots of good, spicy food! Its going to be so hard going back home where I have to cook!
Our last stop for the day was to the Temple of Heaven. This used to be
Beijing Olympic Mascots
There are also five other mascots that embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals - Fish, Panda, Tibetan Antelope, Swallow - and the Olympic Flame. a complex visited by emperorsfor annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is now a park open to the public. The park areas are now used for morning Tai Chi, practice performances of the Opera and other entertainment uses.
As many buildings as I have seen from the Qing and Ming dynasties while here in Beijing, the bright colors and attention paid to detail still amazes me. I think that the Temple of Heaven (or more accurately the Alter of Heaven) was the most beautiful of them all.
There is also an area enclosed by a circular wall, where I stood on one side and Liang stood completely on the other side and we could hear as we each whispered "can you hear me?". It was like we were right next to eachother but were actually very far apart! We were lucky that we visited here right before close so that it was quiet enough where we could actually test this.
Tomorrow we depart in the morning for a flight to Xi'an, where we will be for two days. This is where the Terracotta Warriors are and where Liang has been asked to give
Temple of Heaven
A complex visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. a talk to the hospital administrators in Xi'an, which has the largest hospital in all of Western China! I am not sure what my internet connectivity will be, but I will post daily as long as I can!
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