Written by Tim on July 19, 2008 – 9:49 am
BEIJING — China’s seismic monitoring network has detected no signs of a possible strong earthquake in Beijing during the Olympic Games, said a senior expert of China Earthquake Networks Center here Saturday.
The monitoring network in the area around Beijing is the most extensive in the country. It can detect an earthquake as light as magnitude-1.0, [...]
Written by Tim on July 18, 2008 – 10:49 am
The new subway Line 10, with air-conditioned and spacious compartments, will open this weekend.
A 4.3-km length of the Olympic line and a shuttle train between Dongzhimen and the airport terminals will also open for test runs at the same time. They will extend Beijing’s underground railway to 200 km.
“The new lines will directly serve the [...]
Written by Tim on July 18, 2008 – 10:48 am
The airspace over the Chinese capital will be closed for about five hours during the Olympics opening ceremony August 8 as part of the security measures for the Games, Chinese media reported Thursday.
Flights that are not linked to the Olympics will not be allowed to take off or land between 8:00 pm and midnight (Beijing time) at the Beijing Capital International Airport, [...]
Written by Tim on July 17, 2008 – 2:40 am
The Beijing municipal authority issued an order on Wednesday regulating 82 major department stores in the city to open at ten o’clock from July 20 to September 20 in order to ease morning traffic during the Olympic Games.
The closing time may be postponed accordingly based on the stores’ own decisions, the document said.
However, the supermarkets [...]
Written by Tim on July 17, 2008 – 2:39 am
A firework rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics was conducted Wednesday night at the National Stadium, also called the Bird’s Nest.
The splendid rehearsal lasted for about an hour and a half. The fireworks used were produced in the “hometown of firecrackers” Liuyang in central China’s Hunan province, the Beijing News reports.
The Bird’s [...]
Written by Tim on July 17, 2008 – 2:32 am
BEIJING – A Beijing municipal government-run website was launched Wednesday to help worldwide athletes, referees, officials, journalists and tourists easily find restaurants, shopping centers and entertainment venues during the Olympics period.The website, www.bj2008guide.com, offers in Chinese and English languages information about 2,066 restaurants, 855 shops, chemists and supermarkets, 90 museums, 49 cinemas, 116 fitness centers [...]
Written by Tim on July 16, 2008 – 9:08 am
The Olympic Games could be worth as much as $400 million in tourism revenue to Beijing, a city official said Tuesday.
“We expect to receive about 400,000-450,000 overseas tourists during the Olympics. Based on last year’s figures, each is expected to spend $1,005, so the total should be about $400 million,” Xiong Yumei, deputy director of [...]
Written by Tim on July 16, 2008 – 9:05 am
TIANJIN — A new expressway linking the Olympic host city, Beijing, to its nearest co-host city, Tianjin, opened for traffic on Wednesday.
The dual four-lane intercity expressway is one of the key infrastructure projects for facilitating the Olympic traffic. It was designated for construction by the Ministry of Transport in 2006.
Dubbed as Beijing’s offshore gateway, Tianjin [...]
Written by Tim on July 15, 2008 – 12:19 am
Spectators will not be allowed to take banners, musical instruments and soft drink containers into Olympic venues, according to a set of rules released Monday.
The Olympic venue rules, promulgated by BOCOG, 25 days ahead of the Games, advise spectators not to bring into the venues support banners or leaflets of commercial publicity, religion, politics, military, [...]
Written by Tim on July 14, 2008 – 12:29 am
The working hours in Beijing will change from July 20 for the next two months to ease traffic pressure on the roads in the run up to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Public institutions will open an hour later, at 9:30 am, and close at 5:30 pm, while working hours for companies will be [...]