Bird's Nest loses its glamour

An interesting article appeared in the Singapore Straits Times newspaper over the weekend about the Bird’s Nest stadium, the iconic venue for the Summer Olympic Games.

It’s fallen into disuse, and apparently is looking not-so-shiny.

Here’s the top of the article, which I can’t link to because it is behind a pay wall which is available here (no longer behind a pay wall):

Beijing - Just six months after the breathtaking opening of the Beijing Olympics, the Bird's Nest stadium is looking a lot less glamorous.

The paint is peeling and stains have appeared on its famous lattice design.

Accelerating the deterioration of the iconic National Stadium is the absence of a permanent tenant. It has not hosted a big event since the Paralympics last September and is in real danger of becoming a big white Chinese elephant.

'It's such a pity that it has been empty all these months,' said tourist Gao Qiuling, who was visiting from the northern Tianjin port city, as she toured the venue with her family last Friday.

Visitors like her, paying 50 yuan (S $11) each to enter the stadium, are the only ones warming the Nest these days.

The city's main football club Guo'an backed out of a deal to make the stadium its home because the rent was too high. That deprived it of an anchor tenant.

So far, only one date has been announced for this year. Puccini's opera Turandot, directed by Zhang Yimou, will be staged in the Nest on Aug 8.

Comments

[Tim J]

One thing is to walk around the stadium from the outside during Lunar New Year, as Evan Osnos did, and find many strollers. Another thing is to actually put the stadium to use, which hasn't been done.

[meh]

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_335704.html

Blog: http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2009/2/7/magic-of-the-bird-s-nest

[Gg]

Uh? Just a few days ago the New Yorker's Evan Osnos said the stadium was well integrated into the city and public life.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2009/01/olympic-retirem.html