This Day, That Year

On Aug 8, 2008, at 8:08 pm, the Beijing National Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, choreographed by director Zhang Yimou, as seen in the item from China Daily.

China was the third Asian country to host the Olympic Games, after Japan in 1964 and South Korea in 1988.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

In 2015, Beijing, with co-host city Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, won the bid to hold the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With the success of the 2008 Olympics under its belt, that means the capital will be the only city in the world to stage both the Summer and Winter Games.

The newspaper and beyond

Beijing’s proposed budget for the Winter Olympic villages, sporting venues and other related infrastructure totals $1.5 billion — significantly less than previous Games, according to the International Olympic Committee.

The National Speed Skating Oval, dubbed the “Ice Ribbon”, is being built, with its main structure scheduled for completion next month.

With its 12,000-squaremeter ice-covered area, it will be the largest skating facility in Asia.

The Water

Cube, or the National Aquatic Center, a key legacy of the Beijing Olympics, will be turned into a competition arena for curling during the 2022 Games.

The excitement generated by the runup to the 2022 Olympics is also fueling a boom in winter sports in North China.