First thing on Thursday, I went to see the “Bird’s Nest” the National Stadium right next to the North Fourth Ring Road, which is still under construction. The Bird’s Nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It’s a building made of overlapping steel bands and does look quite a bit like a bird’s nest or something comparable. After seeing a picture of it on the official website of the 2008 Olympics, I thought it looked really strange, but I have to say I liked it when I went to see it.
I could see parts of it from the bus, but where I got off, it was hidden behind trees and billboards. I walked around the construction site for a while, trying to get a better view, or rather any view at all. Soon, more and more construction workers with blue overalls and yellow helmets came my way, and after while I did find one of the entrances. I did not seriously expect to be able to get on the construction site, but as people were walking in and out, I thought I would give it a try, just to get a better view. I was immediately stopped and sent back by a guard though as soon as I got anywhere near the entrance. So I just took a picture and then walked back down the road.
Next, I went to the International Olympic Sports Center, formerly the Asian Games village. Here, it was possible to get inside the Center, but not any closer to the gymnasium or the other venues. I walked around the construction site, lined with small two-story buildings where the construction workers live, and then decided to have lunch at the Olympic Center Restaurant, which is more like a cafeteria, except smaller. But there was some problem with the kitchen, and they could only serve cold snacks, so I left. I was the only foreigner around, and probably the only foreigner who had come in a while, as the Olympic Center is quite a way from the center of the city, so I was stared at a lot more intensely than usual and decided to leave.
In the afternoon, I went to see a couple of art exhibitions in Chaoyang disctrict, which I will write more about later.
Oh, come on, you didn’t at least TRY to flirt your way in to get a picture of the Bird’s Nest?
Would you say that the Olympic venue areas are definitely not tourist-ready?
I did try my best and tried to look as much like a local resident as possible, but for some reason that didn’t work.
The venues are still under construction, and I would say that for the time being, they are simply not that interesting for tourists, plus they are really far off. There are lots of hotels closeby, but not much else. Also ,you have to take either a taxi or a bus in order to get there. Since busses are not easily accessible to foreigners, something will have to be done about that. I’m still trying to find out what the exact plan for public transportation during the Olympics is.
For those who don’t get the joke about Mareike trying to blend in, she has light coloring and looks very German and distinctly un-Chinese.
Are there any plans to extend the subway out in that direction? I don’t know that there would really be enough time to achieve that. Perhaps the plan is to not allow the Beijing residents to use the buses during the Olympics. Perhaps you could write a post explaining why the buses are inaccessible to foreigners.
I’m planning to write a post about public transportation and the convenience for tourists soon. Various new subway lines are planned, and I think some of them are being built at the moment. The one to the Olympics venues ought to be ready by 2008.