China's National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest"
because of its design, leads the ranking of Beijing's new
landmarks.
The stadium, which will be the main venue for the 2008 Olympic
Games, garnered 52,671 votes out of 72,841 ballots cast in the
selection organized by the Beijing News.
Beijing West Railway Station, known for its Chinese traditional
style, and the egg-shaped National Theater ranked second and
third.
The National Swimming Center, or "Water Cube," and the leaning
towers of China Central Television's headquarters, under
construction in Beijing, as well as Financial Street, also ranked
high.
The popular new landmarks include venues with old-time appeal,
such as Houhai, a bar-dotted area in Beijing's heartland, where old
courtyards and hutongs encircle a lake, and Qianmen, the city's
earliest commercial street, whose traditional flavor didn't get
lost in a recently-finished renovation.
The judging panel consists of renowned Chinese architects and
city planners. But the general public has the final say in the
selection.
Experts believe that the selection will raise public interest in
contemporary architecture and give planners ideas of how the city
should look in the future.
(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2008)