Introduction 

Beijing Olympic Park also known as Beijing Olympic Green is situated in the northern end of the central axis of Beijing City near the edge of the North Fourth Ring Road. The park covers an area of 2,864 acres, part of it covering the Olympic Forest Park in a total of 1,680 acres on the northern side, 778 acres make up the central section and 405 acres located in the south are full of venues for the 1990 Asian Games. It is where the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympics took place and is venue for the 2022 Winter Olympics.The park was initially designed to contain ten venues but it was afterward transformed into a comprehensive multifunctional activity center for the public. 

The park combines human interaction with science and technology yet keeping environmental conservation at the forefront. This is made possible by comprehensive energy infrastructure and a convenient transportation system integrating office and business spaces with hotels and dwelling places all under one location. It is set up in three regions: the north end is occupied by the Olympic Forest Park covering 680 hectares; the central zone covering 291 hectares with the main venues and supporting facilities and the southern covering 114 hectares with the stadium and reserved area.

Things to do and see on a visit

The Southern Section - Former Sports Center and China Ethnic Culture Park

This section of the park integrates sports and nature and was the venue for the 1990 Asian Games. The gymnasium, stadium and Yingdong Natatorium were all used for the games. In addition to this, there is a museum with a collection relics from 56 ethnic groups in China.

The Northern Section - Olympic Forest Park

This Olympic Forest Park is a terminal point of Beijing’s central axis and is divided by the fifth ring road into two making room for a northern garden and a southern garden. On the northern garden is carpeted with greenery and vegetation while the southern garden has an artificial classical garden layout with Aohai Sea and Yangshan Mountain built using ancient technologies.

The Central Section - Bird's Nest and Water Cube

This central section is home to many important landmarks and venues and still bears the spirit of competition. There is an Olympic Village, the Aquatics Centre (water cube), China Science and Technology Museum, Convention Centre, Indoor Stadium and the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)

Olympic Village

The Olympic Village Olympic Village also known as the athlete’s village is the accommodation residence that was prepared to host athletes and coaches from different countries who were participating in the Olympics. The village catered for their meals, entertainment, leisure activities amongst other personal needs of the athletes and their crew.

Beijing National Aquatics Centre (Water Cube)

The National Aquatics Centre also popularly known as the water cube can hold a capacity of 17,000 people. It was the venue for swimming competitions, diving competitions and other water water sports. At the water cube, the swimmers created history by breaking 25 world records during the Olympics. After the Olympics, the water cube went through a 200 million Yuan transformation and was later re-opened in August 2010. The water cube is now a leisure center containing a sport and fitness section. For the 2022 Winter Olympics the cube is expected to host the curling competition.

Beijing National Indoor Stadium

The Beijing National Indoor Stadium also known as the Folding Fan occupies a total area of 80,900 square meters. The capacity of the stadium is up to 20,000 people and was one of the three main venues during the Beijing Olympic Games. The stadium was used for handball competitions, gymnastics and trampoline sports. After the Olympics the stadium is now used as a first class center for sporting, cultural and entertainment competitions. 

The Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)

The National Stadium is also known as the Bird’s Nest displaying great art in architectural possibilities and resembling a cradle of breeding lives and symbolizing a world of endless possibilities. Its construction was a joint effort of Pierre de Meuron, Jacques Herzog, Ai Weiwei, Stefan Marbach, CADG and Li Xinggang. It is located in the south of the central area of Beijing Olympic Park with the main building being the Bird Nest occupying an area of 258,000 square meters. The structure of the Bird Nest is dominated by a huge portal frame with a total of 24 truss columns. This stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, football finals and athletics of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. After the Beijing Olympics Game, the Beijing National Stadium has turned out to be a major landmark in the city, a destination for sporting activities and entertainment. At night it lights up with magical colors brightening the whole park and creating a hypnotic effect. 

Ling Long Pagoda

The Ling Long Pagoda is located at the center of the Olympic Park. The pagoda occupies a total area of 4299 square meters, 3636 on the ground area and 663 square meters on the underground. The height of the Pagoda is 132 meters making it the highest building in the Olympic Park and its levels are divided into seven floors. The first floor is occupied by the lobby, the second to sixth floors are studios and the top most floor is the sightseeing deck. The main function of the Pagoda was to broadcast television during the Beijing Olympic Games. The architectural design of this pagoda originates from ancient Chinese cultural elements. The use of steel and glass curtain wall incorporating modern techniques to abstractly express light and clear features is very unique. When night falls the building looks completely charming with colored lights changing harmoniously. It is now home to International Broadcast companies like the BBC, NBC, France Television using Beijing’s real skyline as the studio’s background. 

Beijing Olympic Forest Park

The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is the largest urban greening landscape in Asia covering an area of 680 hectares with at least 55 million trees and shrubs with 280 different species of plants. The venue is home to a Hockey Stadium, a tennis court and an archery Field.

After the Olympics, the park became a resort for locals to unwind and spend time with their families hence promoting tourism, fitness and recreation. For the elderly visitors, the park offers a cable car ride for them to fully enjoy the beauty of the landscape. Bike rides are also allowed in the park for visitors who wish to explore on a bike.