Routebeijing

Olympic Park — The Bird's Nest, Water Cube & Beijing 2008 Legacy

Beijing Olympic Park (北京奥林匹克公园 — the park in the Chaoyang district of northern Beijing that hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and was also the main venue cluster for the 2022 Winter Olympics — the only city in the world to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics): the National Stadium (国家体育场 — the 'Bird's Nest', designed by Herzog & de Meuron with artist Ai Weiwei as artistic consultant, capacity 91,000) and the National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心 — the 'Water Cube' / 'Ice Cube', now used as a curling venue) are the architectural centrepieces.

Google Maps Apple Maps

1
National Stadium (Bird's Nest) — 2008 Summer Olympics
The Bird's Nest designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei hosted the 2008 Opening Ceremony — watched by 4 billion people. The 91,000-seat stadium's interlocking steel lattice draws on Chinese ceramic vessel patterns.
2
National Aquatics Center — From Water Cube to Ice Cube
The Water Cube's ETFE bubble facade (91,000 translucent air cushions) creates a glowing blue lantern at night. Converted to the 'Ice Cube' for 2022 Winter Olympics curling, it hosted Michael Phelps' 8-gold-medal performance in 2008.
3
Olympic Green — Extension of Beijing's Imperial Axis
The Olympic Green extends the Ming Dynasty's north-south imperial axis 3km north of the Drum Tower — the most ambitious urban planning project of the 21st century, connecting ancient Beijing to its modern ambitions.
4
Olympic Forest Park — Artificial Mountain & Lake
The 680-hectare Olympic Forest Park was created from excavated earth and redirected water — an artificial mountain, wetland, and lake system providing the Olympic Green with ecological infrastructure and public recreation space.
5
National Speed Skating Oval — The Ice Ribbon (2022)
The Ice Ribbon, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, features the world's largest single-span cable roof structure and a carbon dioxide refrigeration system producing the fastest ice surface ever measured in speed skating competition.
6
Digital China Exhibition Hall — Tech Future Vision
The Digital China Exhibition Hall in the Olympic Park presents China's national technology strategy — AI, quantum computing, and smart city infrastructure in an immersive exhibition space that reads as both museum and propaganda.