1. Beijing Seeks Olympics Ceremony Ideas
2. (Beijing) Capital Waves Goodbye to Polluting Plants
3. Beijing Seeks Best of the Best for Olympics
4. 100,000 Volunteers to Work for Beijing Olympics
5. Urban design firm to help Olympic city
1. Beijing Seeks Best Opening/Closing Ceremony for 2008 Games
The Beijing Olympics have launched a global search campaign for ideas that would make the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Games a spectacular and inspiring event.
Organizers say they are looking for creative concepts that could turn the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing games, which are to emphasize technology, the environment and peace, into "wonders."
Jiang Xiaoyu is the executive vice-president of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics, or BOCOG.
"We hope the proposals are not just liked by Chinese, but also offer wonderful ceremonies at the Beijing Games for a global audience."
Jiang Xiaoyu said that the ceremonies proposals should help promote the Olympic Spirit and create a jubilant atmosphere for the Games.
They should also visualize the concepts of 'Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics' and 'People's Olympics'.
The BOCOG says it will accept ideas through July 31.
The opening and closing ceremonies are the most eye-catching parts of the Olympics and are seen as one of the criteria for a successful Games.
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Games is scheduled for August 8, 2008 and the closing ceremony on August 24.
(Source: China Daily – March 4, 2005)
2. (Beijing) Capital Waves Goodbye to Polluting Plants
Factories, mines and other industrial plants in Beijing that spew out a high-level of pollution, such as those engaged in mining and iron-smelting, will have to say farewell to the city.
Mayor Wang Qishan said the municipal government was looking at ways to help all the city's 640-plus mining plants move out.
Wang said the move is aimed at protecting and rehabilitating Beijing's environment, especially in mountainous areas where most mines are located.
The municipal government plans to spend 950 million yuan (US$115 million) this year on forestation and environmental protection, 18.8 per cent higher than last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission.
The projects include building more green belts around Beijing to stave off sandstorms, protecting the city's water reservoirs and cleaning up rivers, said Song Yu, a senior official with the commission.
By the end of this year, there will be 46 square meters of green land for every Beijinger, one square meter higher than the current figure.
Meanwhile, the amount of trees covering Beijing is expected to climb by 0.5 percentage points to reach 50 per cent by the year end, according to the municipal forestry authority.
As part of its efforts at environmental protection, the city may reduce its annual coal output from the current 16 million tons a year down to 9 million tons by 2007, according to a local development plan.
The plan, which was worked out late last year and is waiting for approval from the municipal government, says the city may close two-thirds of its township-owned collieries by 2007 and then close down the rest by 2010.
Township-owned coal mines in Beijing currently account for about half of the city's annual coal production.
Other mining plants, including iron, lime and copper mines, will also be shut down gradually in the next few years, according to the Beijing Municipal Administration of Work Safety.
Besides the mining industry, the Shougang Group, China's fourth largest steelmaker, will move all its polluting steelmaking plants out of Beijing by 2010.
The relocation, which has just been approved by the central government, means the steel giant will reduce its annual steel output by 4 million tons in Beijing by the end of 2007 as the first step.
Non-polluting sectors of the economy, such as research and development, the mechanical and electrical industry and logistics services, will move into the vacated sites when all the steelmaking plants have left.
Shougang will build a new base on the tiny island of Caofeidian, off the coast of neighboring Hebei Province, with an annual production capacity of 8 million tons, according to the plan.
The steel group promises it will use high technology to reduce pollution as much as possible at the new base.
In order to have a "Green Olympics" in 2008, the municipal government is looking at other ways to improve the environment.
(Source: China Daily – March 4, 2005)
3. Beijing seeks best of the best for Olympics
Sydney was sensational.
Athens was amazing.
Will Beijing be the best?
That's what the organizers of the city's 2008 Olympics Games are hoping for in their opening and closing ceremonies.
ATHENS 2004: The Athens Games's opening ceremony was a tableau of 3,000 years of Greek history and culture. But it wasn't all ancient lore; modern technology was allowed center stage, too, with a greeting from astronauts in space and lasers lighting up five rings of flames in a pool of water. Estimate cost: US$105 million
SYDNEY 2000: The Sydney Games was a celebration of the Australian spirit-in music and words. Smoke, fire, flamethrowers and horsemen recreated figures real and mythic from Australia's past. Altogether 12,697 performs joined the spectators, who became part of the festivities. Estimated cost: US$35 million
Yesterday the organizers began searching for proposals and plans that will mark a truly memorable beginning and end to the upcoming Games. The opening and closing ceremonies are the most eye-catching parts of the Games and are always seen as a major criteria of each city's success.
"We open the door for all talented individuals and organizations to come up with proposals for splendid opening and closing ceremonies," said Jiang Xiaoyu, vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
Acceptance of submissions for the two ceremonies began yesterday and ends on July 31, the BOCOG announced.
Surprise, secrecy, showbiz and synchronization are all ingredients for spectacular ceremonies.
The 1996 Atlanta Games had all of those - and drama, too - when "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali held the torch aloft during the opening ceremony. The legendary boxer and 1960 Olympic boxing champion, visibly shaking with symptoms of Parkinson's disease, was cheered enthusiastically by the enormous crowd.
In Athens, there was a glimpse of things to come at the Beijing Games when the closing ceremony featured an 8-minute Chinese performance by internationally acclaimed director Zhang Yimou. The creator of such films as the visually-dazzling "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" is likely to play a role in the 2008 Games.
Proposals should cover all key aspects of the ceremonies including igniting the cauldron, the athletes' parade, the symbolic release of doves and artistic performances.
Those that personify the unique features of the Beijing Games and China's cultural heritage are likely to win favor. The BOCOG will then set up a panel to make the final selection.
Anyone interested in taking part in the historic event is welcome; but foreign nationals or organizations are required to team up with Chinese citizens or organizations to participate.
The BOCOG will also invite well-known individuals and organizations to contribute their ideas and has also promised to solicit feedback from ordinary citizens.
Jiang said each participant has an equal chance. "There is no bias here, everyone is equal."
Potential candidates may download the request for proposals from the BOCOG official website - www.beijing2008.com and are required to deliver the proposals no later than 16:00 (Beijing time) on July 31, 2005.
The plans for the ceremonies are expected to be finalized no later than May 2007.
Jiang said it is hard to predict how much the ceremonies will cost, but the figure will not exceed that of Athens, whose organizers spent around 81 million euros (US$105 million) on the opening and closing ceremonies. It was three times the figure for the Sydney Games and the highest in Olympic history.
"We will ensure that there will be enough money to make the ceremonies wonderful, but we would like to do so in a prudent manner."
The ocean-themed opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the one inspired by ancient Greek mythology at the 2004 Athens Games won high marks around the globe; and the world is anxiously waiting to see what Beijing, the center of an ancient Oriental civilization, will present.
Jiang said the BOCOG is trying to work out a way for experienced foreign companies to also get involved, so the program will be appreciated by both foreigners and Chinese.
"We are not concerned about culture or talent," Jiang said. "I think the biggest problem is how to find those (foreign) talents and let them interpret Chinese culture in a modern and international way."
The opening ceremony is scheduled for August 8, 2008 and is expected to last four hours. The closing ceremony will close the Beijing Games on August 24.
(Source: China Daily – March 2, 2005)
4. 100,000 volunteers to work for Beijing Olympics
Some 100,000 volunteers are expected to be recruited for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
According to an Olympic Action Plan released by the Beijing municipal government, Olympic organizers will launch a volunteer recruiting program this June for the 2008 Games.
College and high school students are expected to constitute the majority of the volunteer team.
(Source: China Daily – February 25, 2005)
5. Urban design firm to help Olympic city
Dickson Rothschild, the world leader in architecture, urban design and planning, is striving to take an active role in general urban design for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and further strengthen its presence in the Chinese market.
"We hope to provide our expertise on holistic approach working in the built environment for Beijing, not waste money and resources," Nigel Dickson, managing director at the Australia-based designing institute, said.
Infrastructure, investment in stadiums and gyms, contemporary facilities such as press centers, entertainment venues, toilets and fences, will cost a huge amount.
"After the Olympics, how can we make use of all those facilities? We are able to assist China in making the right decisions and reducing costs," said Dickson.
His company, formed as a collaborative design practice involving architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners and other specialists, was involved in a wide variety of planning and architectural consultancy for the Sydney Olympics from 1993 to 2000.
The scope of involvement included urban design master planning, operational planning for the Homebush Bay, Darling Harbour Venues, press center, sponsor hospitality and Paralympics, generic venue operational planning model, Olympic training venues and International Broadcast Center.
"Our experience throughout the planning, design and implementation stages gave our firm an excellent understanding of the Olympic stakeholders, processes, and pitfalls of the host city's preparation program and, in particular, allows us to link the macro level planning issues with the micro level design and resolution of particular aspects of the Olympic environment," said the managing director.
Dickson Rothschild uses a team-based approach in all of their projects, so the company's team combined with experts in various fields will co-operate with the client's team.
Unlike pure building designing and environment planning, urban designing is closely related to geographical conditions, neighboring environments, and local culture, thus Dickson Rothschild has to work with its clients.
Having entered the Chinese market three years ago, the company has established three offices, in Beijing, Tianjin and Shenzhen, and has won entry into three projects - Xigu Park master plan and Guanbo Lake community designing in Tianjin, as well as an international table tennis training center in Xiamen, in East China's Fujian Province.
"We will bring our best people into China," said Dickson." We have to do more in China, and the market is really deserving of our attention."
(Source: China Daily – February 23, 2005)