After more than four years of work, China's National Olympic Stadium or "Bird's Nest" was inaugurated in its west-Beijing location at the end of April with its first ever athletics competition.

"The symbol of a booming China" was the comment when China's Olympic National Stadium won the Design Museum of London's Prize for Creativity in March 2007. Located in west Beijing near the swimming center, the original building is signed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meudon, already the architects of other international stadiums.

Nicknamed the "Bird Nest" by the Chinese because of its intertwined reinforced steel beams reminiscent of a swallow's nest, the stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games starting August 8^th, as well as the football and athletics competitions.

The building site was opened in December 2003, and required nearly four and a half years to complete. The pharaonic structure is 330 meters long, 220 meters wide and 69.2 meters high, covering an area of 250,000 square meters. The 5 storey complex needed no less than 45,000 tons of steel to build and a total investment of 300 million Euros. In addition to a sophisticated anti-fire system, the stadium can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake on the Richter scale.

A month after his inauguration with an athletic walking competition, the Bird's Nest hosted an Athletic Open as part of the pre event "Good Luck Beijing" on the 21^st of May. The event was really an opportunity for the Chinese to see Liu Xiang, the 110 meter hurdles Olympic champion and national darling, in the flesh. Tickets were sold out very easily for this first international tournament, and the 91,000 red and gray seats were filled, with more people standing.

The second day of the Open found the stands somewhat emptied. The women's and men's 3,000 meter events hosted mostly local athletes, the triple jump and hammer launch events attracted much less people than the previous day, yet the stadium gates jostled with provincial Chinese and companies invitees.

A strong personality

The site is still surrounded by construction: piles of iron, scrap and rubble crowded around an endless concrete road leading to the entrance of the sports complex. There are still empty spaces in the sidewalks waiting for trees to be planted. It is hard to believe that the Bird's Nest will be ready on time.

But as you approach the building, the first lawns, trees and flowers start to appear. There is a basin filled with water lilies and a few grey steps lead into a hall. The colors chosen reveal a strong personality. The red walls mixes with the gray stairs with a black ramp as white lamps light your way upstairs. You can climb up to a restaurant on the third floor and continue to the upper floors or simply choose the elevators. A post office, drinking water points and souvenir, drinks and snacks shops are also available.

Each section is marked by large capital letters. Volunteers dressed in oranges t-shirts with three blue stripes and white caps guide spectators to random seats. Everyone can sit where he sees fit. Two plasma screens have been installed on both side of the stadium, one Chinese, one in English. At the top of the stadium, a large white sheet was extended still allowing enough natural light to come through the center.

On the grounds there is a green lawn surrounded by a red racetrack, the place still feels in shambles. All athletes train at the same time, teams parade, other athletes run and jump, comments broadcast, and supporters ignite. But in the end no one knows where to look. While male runners finish their last lap, tired spectators leave the stadium with a promise to return to encourage more famous athletes in a little over two months or during major sporting events after the Olympics.

Text: Aurélie Palancher
Photos: Wang Zhuo
June 2008