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BEIJING: Exactly one year after the Olympic Games, Beijing is making headway in its uphill battle to prove that its US$42 billion (S$60 billion) splurge to host the Games is paying off.
Anxious to prove to a sceptical public that iconic landmarks like the 3.5 billion yuan (S$736 million) Bird's Nest stadium are not mere white elephants, the authorities have been publicising their efforts to turn these venues into money-spinners.
They boast of the mega-buck acts that the 80,000-seat Bird's Nest, more formally known as the National Stadium, have attracted: concerts by Jackie Chan, pop idol Jay Chou and pianist Lang Lang.
And tonight, the Italian Super Cup match - the biggest sports event at the stadium since its Olympic glory days last year - is expected to rake in 70 million yuan.
There will be bigger and better acts to come, Beijing promises, such as hotshot director Zhang Yimou's opera Turandot in October at the Bird's Nest and the ballet classic Swan Lake at the Water Cube.
And a target has been set for the Bird's Nest to host 10 major cultural performances and up to 30 sports events each year by 2013.
The Olympic Green has also become a major draw for tourists, Beijing organising committee official Jiang Xiaoyu claimed in an article published in state media this week, referring to the belt where the venues are located.
'The number of visitors these venues drew exceeded even that (of the Forbidden City) for some time after the Games,' he wrote.
The Bird's Nest, for instance, attracts about 20,000 to 30,000 tourists each day who fork out 50 yuan for tickets.
State media such as news website China Net trotted out figures to show that the Olympic venues are not hua jia, or flower racks - Chinese lingo for lovely, costly junk.
The Bird's Nest and Water Cube have earned more than 360 million yuan since their opening in October last year, an amount that more than covers maintenance costs of about 170 million yuan in that period.
The Water Cube, which charges an entrance fee of 50 yuan, or 70 yuan for those who want to use the training pools, has also diversified its revenue sources. It has licensed its branding rights to several companies, including Chinese liquor producer Moutai.
Plans are also on the drawing board to add shopping and entertainment complexes to the venues to generate more earnings.
Other attractions built in the run-up to the Olympics, such as the basketball arena Wukesong, are also starting to see a pick-up in activity after a slow year.
The United States' National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to use Wukesong as its launch pad into the Chinese market.
From Oct 11, the refurbished stadium will host a new basketball league, starting with a pre-season match between NBA teams Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets. There will also be other events such as concerts.
The use of Olympic stadiums like the Bird's Nest has not been very successful so far, noted Professor Xu Yongjun, an expert on Olympic culture at Renmin University.
But he believed that the investment in these landmarks will pay off eventually.
'There will be greater demand for venues to host cultural and sports events as China's economy grows further, and its people spend more on leisure activities and cultural enjoyment,' he said.
Beijing has emphasised that the US$42 billion it invested in the city's infrastructure goes far beyond dazzling sports facilities.
For the capital city's residents, the building boom and physical transformation brought about by the Olympics have made a real impact on their lives.
Beijing has sprouted new subway lines and a light rail, 22 million trees, more than 5,000 public toilets, a new airport terminal and an upgraded sewerage system.
'These made my life much nicer and more convenient,' said Ms Sun Jiaying, a resident.
Disabled Beijingers, who were previously largely housebound, said that the Paralympic Games had given them improved access to the city, thanks to barrier-free public transport and a huge jump in locals' awareness of their needs.
But these changes were not fully appreciated following the Olympics, as the full force of the global economic slump set in.
'Beijing felt like a ghost town,' recalled Ms Sun, a 27-year-old accountant. 'The property market slumped, all the new cafes and restaurants built to tap the Olympics' tourist crowds were suddenly empty.'
But now, with the rebound in the Chinese economy and rising domestic consumption,
Beijing's mega-malls and hip wining and dining places like Sanlitun - either built or refurbished before the Olympics - are once again abuzz with activity.
Property prices, which tanked late last year, are soaring again. Luxury apartments at the Olympic Village, converted from units that housed 16,000 athletes, are once again commanding the pre-Olympics boom prices of well over US$3,000 per sq m.
'The Olympics has had a huge impact on Beijing's hardware and software such as its international reputation and quality of life,' said Prof Xu.
Additional reporting by Lina Miao
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