Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest, the National Stadium, located in the Olympic Green, hosted the opening and closing ceremonies in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and Paralympics. After the 29th Olympics, the Bird's Nest booms thousands of people travel to visit the National Stadium for long. It is the largest steel structure in the world. The stadium cost 423 million US dollars. The whole steel structure weighs 42,000 tons. It occupies an area of 250,000sqm, has permanent seats 80,000, temporary seats 11,000. The project started in December, 2003, completed in March, 2008. It was a joint venture among architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Herzog & de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei, and CADG which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order

to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. The retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect. The stadium will continue to host sports events, culture and entertainment events, such as football, afterwards. A shopping mall and a hotel, with rooms overlooking the field, are planned to help increase use after the Olympics. It will become the most important public space in Beijing. The Bird's Nest hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletics, football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics and those of the 2008 Summer Paralympics. The Beijing municipal government reported that the National Stadium had earned 54 million US dollars over the last two years so far after the Olympics.

The Bird's Nest had attracted 20,000 to 30,000 visitors, mostly from out of town, to tour it daily. Big events that the venue had hold include the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) final on 8 August 2009 and a performance of the opera Turandot by Puccini in October to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the stadium's opening. The owner of the Bird's Nest annouced that the National Stadium would be turned into a shopping and entertainment complex in three to five years. The Bird's Nest is now an icon of the city, and is still attracting visitors home and abroad and is a must-see travel destination of many people. Here's some guide information of the Bird's Nest or National Stadium
Location: Guojiatiyuchang, Beichenglu, Chaoyang District, Beijing         Contact number: +86 10 62968202         Opening hours:09:00 – 18:00         Tickets: CNY50