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Beijing 2008


Sir Rols

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Nobody's had much to say about Beijing lately, but just thought I'd post this new view of the Birds Nest - hmmmm, trying to out-winter BC Place?

zx500y290_831157.jpg

China's iconic national stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, is covered in artificial snow yesterday. The stadium, which has been rarely used since it held the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, has been turned into a winter playground at a cost of around 50 million yuan (US$7 million) in an effort to attract more tourists during the quieter Christmas and Chinese New Year season. A total of 25,000 tons of reclaimed water was used to make snow for the Bird's Nest, and organisers said that the artificial snow will not be harmful to people or the environment.

Times of Malta

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Confrimed by that pic - cauldron is gone. Who knows where.

The '08 cauldron only works in context with its setting on the Birds Nest roof and that it was part of the whole scroll scenario. Taken down and standing by itself, it's going to be a clunky, unconnected, unwieldly piece of sculpture and when lit, will do nothing to alleviate Beijing's pollution. Best left for the history books, the photos and the memories.

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The '08 cauldron only works in context with its setting on the Birds Nest roof and that it was part of the whole scroll scenario. Taken down and standing by itself, it's going to be a clunky, unconnected, unwieldly piece of sculpture and when lit, will do nothing to alleviate Beijing's pollution. Best left for the history books, the photos and the memories.

Very true Baron.

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Confrimed by that pic - cauldron is gone. Who knows where.

I went on google map (don't know when they took the view) but the cauldron was still on the top of the roof at its horizontal position.

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Google maps isn't a live satellite picture1

Yes, we know that, but from what we could see on the pic, it's a post game one...

So may be, it's still there.... or may be not !!!

prsentation1k.jpg

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Now that I remember, earlier this year it was moved back to its flat position on top of the roof, the way it sat when it was being put together last year (as seen in the satellite pic).

Maybe it's still just laying there like that... it's hard to tell if it's there in the pic with the fake snow or in this one from the recent car race held there:

92610855.jpg

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how can it be such a secret what the Chinese government had planned to do with it, I mean wasn't there a plan......?. I'm surprised no one here had ever heard of a plan for the thing. I think they could design a base that would allow it to stand alone elsewhere as a sculpture so people could enjoy it.

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how can it be such a secret what the Chinese government had planned to do with it, I mean wasn't there a plan......?. I'm surprised no one here had ever heard of a plan for the thing. I think they could design a base that would allow it to stand alone elsewhere as a sculpture so people could enjoy it.

Probably so. But it's so huge (probably the biggest in terms of sheer size and bulk of all Olympic cauldrons so far) and it was designed to sit well on that roof, in propotion to the whole stadium, with the "flanged skirt" as part of the "scroll" narrative. The scrim alone, thus the base of the cauldron, measured 15meters high. The crown was I'd guestimate another 15-18 meters high, so overall, about 100 ft. high (about a 9 or 10-story building).

Taken down from the roof to the ground somewhere, the maintenance over the years, etc., it just MIGHT be disproportionately intimidating and out of place in a new setting. I'm sure the Beijing people have studied their options, but a good year out, and no solution, means that there aren't any good viable ones.

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There were plans (according to a few sources) of the cauldron being installed at the base of the Olympic Brioadcast Tower and that the bottom 'swirl' or 'spiral' would be extended out further and used to shopw images from the Games - sort of an extended memorial wall with the cauldron at the head of it. The wall was meant to stretch the length of the warm up athletic track. Has yet to happen though.

Furthermore it was still on the roof during my last brief trip to Beijing in September.

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Nobody's had much to say about Beijing lately, but just thought I'd post this new view of the Birds Nest - hmmmm, trying to out-winter BC Place?

zx500y290_831157.jpg

omg, when I first saw that I thought it was dust & debris from some sort of demolition. I was thinking "No!!!!!!! Don't tear it down!!!!" :o:o:o:o

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The first volume was presented in Copenhagen but sent back as it was not up to the standard. Thus probably Vancouver but could be later. The other volumes are just day by day accounts and pictures - but volume one is all the technical hosting stuff and the IOC is very careful that that is accurate before allowing it to be released.

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A new year's present from me!

For those looking for the full opening ceremony in Beijing, I found the entire thing:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMjUyNDg=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMjU0MzY=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMjU2NDg=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMjU3NjA=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMzAxMDg=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMzAzMTY=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMzA0OTY=.html

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTIyMzA2Njg=.html

Note: This broadcast contains added graphics and different angles in some parts, as this was how it was shown in mainland China.

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I'm more interested in the IOC sending the report back and having them do it again. Has that happened before with post-Olympic reports?

If you read some of the past ones, you'll get a feel which ones try to impart a blueprint to future OC's and which ones don't. LA84 is a perfect example of an Official Report that the next Org Committee can just pick up and organize the next Games.

I have a feeling Beijing's was all about the Fatherland and all that bombastic B/S. Probably didn't impart how to stage the next Olympics.

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