
Chongqing Evening News Olympic Avenue is a natural Olympic football stadium.
Introduction: "Rain falls on the secluded swallows, white waves are sky-high, fishing boats are outside Qinhuangdao, and no Wang Yang is seen …" Mao Zedong’s famous "Langtaosha Beidaihe" is magnificent. Now, the merits and demerits of history have long since vanished, and a new historical picture of Qinhuangdao has been unveiled, which is the 2008 Olympic Games.
Qinhuangdao, a prefecture-level city with a population of just over 2 million, has become the co-host city of the Beijing Olympic Games together with five mega cities, namely Hong Kong, Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Shenyang, and some football matches of the 2008 Olympic Games will be held here.
What makes this small city into the Olympic Games? How is Qinhuangdao prepared up to now? In mid-September, the Sports Journalism Society of China Evening News organized the second stop of the Olympic City Tour, and went to Qinhuangdao to interview this special city.
Their Olympic blood, the nuclear building: the complex with the Olympics
This is an ordinary but extraordinary 23-story building. Shaped like a sailboat, it is located on the edge of the west beach of Qinhuangdao, and it has the momentum of braving the wind and waves. To its east, it is the sailing venue of the 1990 Asian Games. Today, this is a three-star hotel under the army. Although it was renovated last year, it is still difficult to hide the traces of time under the wind.
In 1993, China bid for the 2000 Olympic Games. As one of the bidding measures, the China National Nuclear Building was opened. At that time, it was designed to be used as an onshore facility for the Olympic sailing venue. As a result, the bid for Montreal was defeated, which made the China sports community breathless for several years, and the construction of CNNC Building was stopped urgently, becoming one of the famous unfinished buildings in Qinhuangdao.
In 2001, after China’s successful bid for the Olympic Games, CNNC Tower saw the hope of resurrection, and they still looked forward to turning it into a sailing venue for the Olympic Games. However, Qingdao people walked ahead of them and robbed Qinhuangdao of its Olympic sailing dream with better design and better architecture. The China nuclear building is once again in a state of death. It was not until the real estate market strengthened in the last two years that CNNC took over the past and finished building and decorating it into a seaside hotel.
China Nuclear Tower is one of the top ten landmark buildings in Qinhuangdao, which represents not only a landmark, but also an Olympic dream of Qinhuangdao people. In fact, this building tells us that since 1993, Qinhuangdao has been designated as the co-host city of the Olympic Games, although this dream was not realized until 2008. Nowadays, the Olympic Sports Center for the Olympic Football Match has been built next to the China National Nuclear Building. Compared with it, this building looks like an old man standing there quietly, watching all the changes around him for the Olympic Games.
China Football School: Emotion of Close Relatives
China Football School is not in Beijing, but in Qinhuangdao. This school has played a great role in making Qinhuangdao an Olympic football sub-venue.
There is a comprehensive training hall "armed" with one square meter of imported wood floors in 800 yuan, 20 natural and artificial lawn football fields, a basketball hall, a tennis court and a four-star apartment for athletes. The China Football School, which was built from a wasteland, has now become the most advanced sports training base in China. Although the football in China is declining, it still bears the historical responsibility of football revival. More than 400 young players selected from all over the country are training here, waiting for the day when China football will rise again.
This football school also has another brand-Qinhuangdao training base of the State Sports General Administration. Since its establishment in 1973, more than 20 national sports teams and many foreign sports teams have come here for intensive and adjustment training. Because of this base, Qinhuangdao is related to China Sports and the State Sports General Administration. Therefore, after the sailing event of the Olympic Games was snatched away by Qingdao, Qinhuangdao finally won the football event through the emergency public relations of China Football School. Such close ties have brought the relationship between Qinhuangdao and Beijing Olympic Games very close.
Their Olympic ideal Jian Ruiting: a mayor’s Olympic chessboard.
On the second day after the evening news delegation arrived in Qin, the mayor of Qinhuangdao, Jian Ruiting, specially arranged a morning to be interviewed by reporters. Obviously, he is very concerned about the evaluation of Qinhuangdao’s Olympic Games.
The mayor, who was slightly bitter and unsmiling, talked for two hours at the press conference. From the history, specialties, economy, urban construction of Qinhuangdao to the site selection of Olympic venues and the implementation of Olympic strategy, the native Jian Ruiting talks off the script, and the tedious data is always available to reporters, who can talk about it and spread it to one side.
The evaluation of local colleagues on the mayor is: pragmatic.
All the talks of Mayor Kan revolved around a theme, namely, Olympic strategy-how to make use of the opportunity of the Olympic Games to bring changes to Qinhuangdao. So, what changes will the Olympic Games mainly bring to Qinhuangdao?
Change 1: Use the Olympics to transform municipal facilities.
Today, Qinhuangdao has implemented the Olympic Smooth Project in road construction, with an investment of more than 3 billion yuan, 65 roads have been transformed, and more than 300 alleys are being transformed, which has greatly improved the roads in the whole urban area. Construction of garbage and sewage treatment plants, preparation of garbage power stations, sewage treatment reached 86%.
Change 2: Use the Green Olympics to build a green city.
In recent years, Qinhuangdao has carried out a number of ecological greening projects every year, adding more than 7 million trees and 700,000 mu of green space, and the forest coverage rate has reached 40%.
Change 3: Use the Olympic Games to upgrade the city’s industry.
According to the needs of hosting the Olympic Games, Qinhuangdao re-examined its geographical location and comparative advantages, and changed the past four industries of "agricultural products, machinery manufacturing, glass building materials and metal calendering" into three industries of "manufacturing, port logistics and eco-tourism" to reduce pollution and increase added value.
In fact, all the above changes are highly valued by the International Olympic Committee when it gives a country the right to host the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games is not only a sports event, but also the IOC hopes that the Olympic Games will bring environmental and economic improvements to this country and this city. From this point of view, Qinhuangdao is developing in a benign direction.
Old Dragon Head: The Great Wall starts here.
Qinhuangdao has not only the famous Beidaihe, but also the famous Shanhaiguan.
Wu Sangui sent soldiers into the customs here in those days, which changed the history of China. As the starting point of the Great Wall in Wan Li, the old dragon head has weathered in the long river of history, and now it has the opportunity of Olympic rebirth. The old faucet is in the sea, and the Great Wall starts from the sea 20 meters from the shore.
Wang Han, an ordinary tour guide, the authentic Qinhuangdao girl led us to visit the whole Shanhaiguan scenic spot. As a member of 2.8 million Qinhuangdao people, Wang Han has the same question as all Qinhuangdao people: What will the Olympic Games bring to the people? I once asked her, "What is the biggest feeling that the Olympic Games gave you?" She said: "The urban environment has become better." Indeed, from traffic to greening, Qinhuangdao is making great efforts to rectify. So, what is the attitude of Qinhuangdao people towards the Olympic Games? Wang Han said: "I wish the Olympic Games could come later." Her explanation is simple: the later the Olympic Games come, the more time Qinhuangdao will have to improve the urban environment, the greater the intensity of improvement, and the more citizens will benefit. Since the establishment of the qualification of Olympic co-host city, Qinhuangdao has invested nearly 10 billion yuan to improve urban infrastructure. For Qinhuangdao, which has only three districts, it is self-evident what kind of waves will be aroused by this 10 billion yuan.
"So, as a tour guide, what are your expectations for the Olympic Games?" I asked her. "I have traveled a lot and feel that Qinhuangdao is really beautiful. Therefore, I hope that during the Olympic Games, more tourists will come to Qinhuangdao and Shanhaiguan to see the starting point of our Great Wall and the beautiful Beidaihe, so that I can do more things. " Wang Han stood by the wall of the old faucet, facing the vast sea, full of infinite longing. Behind her, the Great Wall extends all the way to the mountains and Beijing …
In order to welcome the Olympic Games, Shanhaiguan ushered in the largest renovation since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. When we visited, many places were still construction sites. Judging from the repaired part of the city wall, although it is not good enough to repair the old as before, it has at least stopped the collapse trend of the city wall and continued the vitality of this ancient city.
Their Olympic Care Olympic Park shows not only history.
Throughout the country, parks are built with the theme of Olympics. Such cities are rare, and Qinhuangdao has tasted fresh.
In this park covering an area of 155,600 square meters, the most famous is the Olympic Avenue.
This 312-meter-long avenue was built at the beginning of 2004. There are sports scenes and statues of sports figures from the first Olympic Games, which show a very high artistic level and cultural connotation. On the relief walls along the way, we looked at the history and saw the 28th Olympic Games from the 1st Olympic Games. We also appreciate the sketch. The statue of Samaranch sits in a chair and looks kindly at a little girl practicing sword. At the end of the avenue is the wall representing the 29th Beijing Olympic Games. The wall is blank, waiting to be carved by several representative figures after next August. In addition, the park also invited 45 Chinese Olympic Champion to leave their handprints and footprints on the avenue. The footprints are so clear that we can even see the calluses left by the champions’ training.
This park shows not only the Olympic history and ideals, but also the embodiment of Olympic humanistic care. This park, which covers an area of more than 200 acres, has no wall, and welcomes anyone’s free entry with a fully open attitude. Now it has become a place for citizens to relax and travel, and has been integrated into the public green space of the city.
The dream of the Olympic Sports Center shines into reality from here.
Qinhuangdao Olympic Center-Some football events in 2008 will be held here.
From a distance, it looks like a white sail rising on the sea level, and it looks like a huge shell lying on the beach. However, this is a stadium where the waves can be heard, because it is only 500 meters away from the coast.
When I walked into the Olympic Sports Center, my first feeling was that it was not as magical as I thought. Curved ceiling, green grass, colorful seats, what’s so special? No. Compared with Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, it even lacks grandeur and grandeur. After all, there are only 31,000 seats, which is just twice as bad as Chongqing Olympic Sports Center. However, after all, this is the Olympic stadium, there must be something special! Yes, that’s Na Pianhai not far away.
Today, when the real estate market is in full swing, Qinhuangdao has used 526 mu of gold land by the sea to build this Olympic Sports Center. Moreover, between the Olympic Sports Center and the sea, only green belts can be built, not houses. This is what makes this stadium special. The reason for doing this is, in the words of Jian Ruiting, the mayor of Qinhuangdao, to give viewers a good enjoyment. Looking south, over a piece of green, you can see the blue sea, which will leave a deep impression on all Olympic spectators and players.
Besides, there is nothing special about this stadium. In fact, due to the early construction, it was completed in 2004, and the stadium has been somewhat backward in function. In the words of Yu Kang, deputy director of Qinhuangdao Sports Bureau, there are 12 major projects that need to be reformed. For example, the press gallery is far away from the venue, the resolution of the big screen is not enough, and there are too few seats in the news center, which needs to be rebuilt. Walking on the lawn, you can see spots of yellow spots, and some turf has begun to turn yellow, which is absolutely not in line with the Olympic standards. Fortunately, however, judging from the history of these years, the yellowing of turf only started in September, and next year’s Olympic Games will be held in August, just before the yellowing, which may be the luckiest place in Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center.
Apart from the 660 million investment and prime location, we can’t find anything more special about this venue that carries the dream of Qinhuangdao Olympic Games. Is the dream discounted before reality?
The mayor of Qinhuangdao, Jian Ruiting, said that the real dream will come true in the post-Olympic period. After the Olympic Games, the Olympic Sports Center will be expanded and developed on a large scale, and will be gradually improved into a theme park integrating sports events, entertainment and mass fitness, and functional areas such as tennis, volleyball and basketball will be built one after another in the venue, which will be open to the general public. In other words, after the Olympic Games, the Olympic Sports Center will become the "Olympic Sports Center for the masses". For Qinhuangdao, which has a population of only 700,000, such a sports theme park is extremely luxurious. In this respect, Qinhuangdao has done better than many big cities.
This reminds me of Athens. In order to realize the dream of "going home for the Olympics", this city has spared no effort to build a large-scale project since the bidding stage. During the preparation process, the work was stopped many times because of lack of funds, and the government was forced to intervene. By the opening ceremony, it really showed us a brilliant Olympic Games. However, after the Olympic Games, a large number of stadiums and gymnasiums were built far away from densely populated areas, which led to extremely low utilization rate of stadiums and gymnasiums. On top of the already heavy debt, tens of millions of euros of maintenance costs were added every year.
The planning of Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center shows us a beautiful picture, and it is an important part of the Olympic humanistic concept that the Olympics benefit the people. In this regard, we need to give a round of applause to Qinhuangdao.
Editor: Xu Guimei