Blogging Beijing -- Visitors Flock to Bird's Nest

(ATR) Yang Min, a sports reporter in Beijing, offers his observations from the Olympic City with the Games less than two weeks away. He'll be making regular postings for Around the Rings throughout the Olympic period.

Cyclists stop at the Bird's Nest too. (Getty Images)With August 8 just a breath away, people seem to be able to hear the “heart” of the Bird’s Nest – the sound of its heart beating. Even the sultry and hot summer weather is not enough to keep visitors from flocking to this structure. Last Friday by 10 in the morning, there must have been at least thousands of people by the sides of the north Fourth Ring Road, viewing this landmark from various angles with curiosity, excitement and expectation in their eyes.

Even though various traffic control measures have been implemented, there is still occasional traffic in the north Fourth Ring Road, especially from Anhui Bridge to Jianxiang Bridge. Apart from feeling the impact of those measures, a handful of drivers commented based on their experience: as the date to the Olympics gets ever closer, many drivers are stepping on their brakes when passing this road because they want to take a glimpse at the Bird’s Nest. Once a driver steps on their brakes, it affects the cars behind it. Clearly, this shows the magnitude of the stadium’s charm.

There is no doubt that the men’s 110-meter hurdles finals on August 21 will be the most anticipated event in the Bird’s Nest, where China’s Liu Xiang and Cuba’s Dayron Robles will compete for the champion title. Whenever the media reporters gather, this topic will inadvertently become a heated discussion. This has indeed become the focus of the whole country.

With only one week left to the Olympics, many Beijingers feel that the entire country is fully prepared to welcome the Souvenir glasses complete a trip to the Olympic Green. (Getty Images)event, and many of them are looking forward to the arrival of the historic moment.

As President Hu Jintao said to Yao Ming, “Many people across the country are concerned about your foot injury.” The Olympics, confirm once again the cohesiveness of the Chinese nation.

People are looking forward to the arrival of the last torchbearer, to the moment when that person lights the sacred Olympic flame in Beijing.

They also anticipate the basketball competition between China and United States. They hope that Yao’s foot injury will heal soon and they look forward to seeing Yao, along with Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian, the three major center players, lead the Chinese men’s basketball team to success.

But in the Bird’s Nest, it will be the 110-meters hurdles event, the intense race between Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles, that people will hone in on.

Last but not least, they look forward to a smooth and successful Beijing Olympics.

Written by Yang Min in Beijing.

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