Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Developments, 8 Years Later
In 2008, the Chinese government pulled all the stops in an effort to make the Beijing Olympics go as smoothly as possible — in doing so, China destroyed houses, shops, culture, and perhaps lives. The developments in Beijing were completed within the blink of an eye, with the national stadium, or the Birds Nest, being fully built within five years. The stadium alone cost over $400,000,000, and only accounts for a small portion of the total structures made for the 2008 games. Another large project worked on was the Olympic Village, which provided housing for athletes, coaches, and others while the Olympics were in session. 22 six-story and 20 nine-story apartment buildings were made in total, and still provide housing for thousands of upper-class Beijing residents.
Eight years later, Beijing’s Olympic facilities and housing show a haunting lack of change. In recent years, Beijing has become known as a city where stores, buildings, and even entire neighborhoods can be born and demolished within a few years, but the whole olympic area would appear frozen in time. On the apartment complex stretching for several kilometers, the words “2008 Dream World” remain in place, just as polished as they would’ve been during the olympics. In fact, the area may have become more distinct after the olympics were held — the menacing Olympic Park Observation Tower, which begun production as the olympics took place, was only completed two years ago, drawing more tourists to the area. The Birds Nest also brings both foreign and Chinese audiences to the area frequently for concerts, sporting events, and performances.
Little information is available as to how the area upholds its status and image, and the Chinese government is not often up-front about its finances, so the condition of the area remains, in part, a mystery. The government’s stance on the area, however, has been made clear by its choice in maintaining an impressive image. As time continues, the area will remain a popular tourist destination, but the people living and working there will also eventually establish a culture in the same way previous residents of the area did.
