A visit to Beijing's new Olympic stadium

I am a college student at Beijing Forestry University studying Urban Planning. Toward the end of my summer vacation this past September, I went for a visit to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium and it turned out to be one of the most exciting days in my life.

Submitted by Meng Wu Workers pose atop Beijing's new stadium.

I got up early in the morning and took with me a yellow construction helmet which I had earlier gotten in a grocery store to make sure of my safety. When I reached the stadium, I was shocked to see so many people standing outside taking pictures — Chinese and foreigners, adults and children. Everyone was fascinated to get such a close look at the grand Bird's Nest which was being constructed — the real Olympic Stadium that they had only seen on TV.

While I was aiming my camera and starting to take pictures, I saw a man about my age wearing a helmet similar to the one I was wearing except that his was a blue one. I asked him if he was a construction worker. He nodded his head yes and told me he worked as a guard and was just off from work. We chatted for a few minutes and he offered to show me around – to show me the inside of the Olympic Stadium.

Submitted by Meng Wu The stadium is called the Bird's Nest because of it's unique exterior.

I was amazed that the construction inside was so massive. I saw that everybody was working very hard to make sure that everything they were building was safe and of high-quality. Even though I am afraid of heights, I just simply forgot about that when I saw the inside of the Olympic Stadium because I was so excited. There were six floors inside and I climbed all the way to the top of the stadium.  When I was climbing to the top, two friendly workers showed me where to go and how to get there.

I talked with several workers including two men working on the roof of the stadium. They told me there are different types of workers. The one wearing blue helmet is a guard the other two other workers are working on the roof of the stadium. They work eight to nine hours a day, with a one-hour-break during the lunch time. The workers are from all over China and most of them are from Sichuan, Henan, and Ningxia provinces. They stay in dormitories 200 meters away to the stadium.

They may not be wealthy or well-educated in books, they may not have university degrees, but they are specialists in construction and they are certainly happy with their lives of being part of the big team that is building the most important building in China for 2008 — the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium — and they are realizing their China Dream.

Meng Wu, who also goes by the name "Sprout"  is a college student studying landscape architecture. She can be reached at .

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