Chinese still flocking to see Bird’s Nest
OLYMPICSLONG AFTER COMPETITION, STADIUM DRAWS CROWD

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 22, 2008


Visitors line up Friday to enter the National Aquatics Center in Beijing. AP PHOTO

BEIJING — The spectacular fireworks were long over and the Olympic athletes had all gone home. But for Cai Shanhai and his wife, He Jingfeng, it was still a moment to savor as they stared up at the soaring steel arches of the Bird’s Nest national stadium this week.

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"Our whole life, there’s been nothing like the Olympics. On TV, you can only see so much of the Bird’s Nest, but in person you can see every bit of it,” said He, 67.

The couple are hardly alone in their enthusiasm. Since the Olympic Games ended in August, some 35,000 to 40,000 visitors a day have streamed through the 91,000-seat stadium, according to ticketing officials. The smaller, whimsical Water Cube nearby draws its own share of visitors — 20,000 to 26,000 daily.

The Water Cube is due to become a public pool, and there are plans for the Beijing Guoan football club to make the Bird’s Nest its home field.


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