The Bird's Nest: A landmark in China
When it comes to the country's representative buildings, many people think of a bird's nest. As a landmark of the 2008 Olympic Games, the construction of the Bird's Nest cost a huge amount of money and a lot of manpower. The original plan was to invest 3.4 billion yuan, but the actual cost was nearly 2.3 billion yuan. Nowadays, many tourists come to Beijing to see the Bird's Nest as a famous attraction, but what does the Bird's Nest look like today? Is it still as majestic as it was to the original, or has it been abandoned like some international Olympic venues?
The cost of the Bird's Nest and the background of its construction
In 2001, China was in a period of rapid development, and in the process of bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games, it ambitiously sought to present a new and rising China to the world. In that year, China successfully won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Despite the success of the Olympic bid, it is still a huge challenge to successfully host the Olympic Games and showcase China's outstanding traditional culture to the world. The construction of Olympic venues is also a major challenge.
On October 25, 2002, the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission was authorized by the Beijing Municipal Government and the Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games to solicit proposals for the design of Olympic venues from all over the world. Many countries and enterprises have come to cooperate, and after heated discussions, evaluations, comparisons and public voting, the "Bird's Nest" was finally selected as the main stadium of the Olympic Games. The complex design of the Bird's Nest places high demands on construction techniques and materials. The steel structure of the Bird's Nest is mainly made of Q460 material, which is the first high-strength steel used in construction in China, and it is relatively difficult to manufacture. However, it took more than half a year for the researchers of Henan Special Steel Plant to successfully master this key technology.
In addition to expensive building materials, the Bird's Nest covers an area of up to 204,000 square meters, with a total construction area of 258,000 square meters, which can accommodate up to nearly 100,000 people. The Bird's Nest was expensive to build, but it was jointly funded by six Olympic investors and has both national and commercial value. It is reported that these investors are not only willing to share the construction costs for the country, but also obtained the right to operate the Bird's Nest for 50 years, which means that they will enjoy the benefits generated by the Bird's Nest until 2058.
The current state of the Bird's Nest
Now that the Bird's Nest has been built for almost 15 years, people can't help but wonder what it looks like now. Is it abandoned after the Olympics, like some international Olympic venues? This is not the case. The Bird's Nest continues to play its value and continues to attract visitors.
First of all, the Bird's Nest, as a major tourist attraction in Beijing, attracts a large number of tourists every day. Tickets are reasonably priced at $40 each. Considering the daily flow of tourists in Beijing, the Bird's Nest can also earn a decent amount of money every day by selling tickets.
Secondly, the Bird's Nest outsources the venues to various enterprises and units for holding large-scale events. Many singers dream of holding concerts in the Bird's Nest, but the singers who can hold concerts here must be superstars, such as Wang Feng, Jackie Chan, Mayday, etc. The annual maintenance cost is as high as 70 million yuan, and at least more than 100 staff members need to work together.
In addition, the Bird's Nest has hosted many international sporting events and large-scale events, such as sports meetings and football matches. It is not only an Olympic venue, but also a multi-purpose venue, providing a variety of entertainment activities for Beijing citizens and tourists.
conclusion
The Bird's Nest is undoubtedly one of China's landmark buildings, which has witnessed China's journey from weak to strong, and has been a witness to generations of Chinese sons and daughters. Today, the Bird's Nest is still well maintained, and although it is not as new as it was 15 years ago, it still serves as a calling card for Beijing, attracting tourists. Therefore, the Bird's Nest is not just a building, but also a symbol of China's rise and prosperity, and it will continue to remain in the memory of the world.