Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
|PARK
RÌTÁN PARK
( Rìtán Gōngyuán; Ritan Lu; free; 6am-9pm; Chaoyangmen)
Meaning 'Altar of the Sun', Rìtán
(pronounced 'rer-tan') is arguably the most pleasant area to spend time in this part of
Běijīng. One of a set of imperial parks, which covers each compass point, Rìtán dates
from 1530 and is the eastern counterpart to the likes of Temple of Heaven and Temple of
Earth (Dìtán Park). The altar is now little more than a raised platform, but the surrounding
park is beautifully landscaped and a popular city-centre escape. Activities include dan-
cing, singing, kite flying, rock-climbing (¥30-50), table tennis and pond fishing (¥5 per
hour). Otherwise, just stroll around and enjoy the flora, or head to one of the park's pleas-
from ¥25, cocktails from ¥35;
10am-10pm)
, located by a large landscaped pond.
CCTV BUILDING
|ARCHITECTURE
( Yāngshì Dàlóu; 32 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu; Jintaixizhao)
Shaped like an enormous pair of trousers,
and known locally as Dà Kùchǎ , or Big Underpants, the astonishing CCTV Tower is an
architect's wet dream. Its overhang (the bum in the pants) seems to defy gravity and is
made possible by an unusual engineering design which creates a three-dimensional
cranked loop, supported by an irregular grid on its surface. Designed by Rem Koolhaas
and Ole Scheeren of OMA, the building is an audacious statement of modernity (despite
its nickname) and is a unique addition to the Běijīng skyline. In February 2008, stray fire-
works from CCTV's own Lantern Festival fireworks display sent the costly Television
Cultural Center in the north of the complex up in flames, burning for five hours with spec-
tacular ferocity. CCTV famously censored its own reporting of the huge conflagration
(Běijīng netizens dryly noting that CCTV created one of the year's biggest stories only to
not cover it). Along with the Běijīng Mandarin Oriental, a visitor's centre and theatre were
also destroyed in the blaze. Big Underpants escaped unsinged. Gardens around the com-
plex were being landscaped at the time of research so by the time you read this you should
be able to wander beneath the underbelly of this exceptional structure.
BIRD'S NEST & WATER CUBE
( Guójiā Tǐyùchǎng & Guójiā Yóuyǒng Zhōngxīn; Bird's Nest ¥50, Water Cube ¥30; 9am-5.30pm Nov-Feb, to
6.30pm Mar-Oct; Olympic Sports Centre)
After the event, walking around the Olympic Sports
Centre midweek is rather like being stuck in a district of Brazilia or a soul-destroying in-
tersection in
Gattica
or
Alphaville
. Traffic lights go red and there are no cars to stop; the
green man flashes and there's no one to cross the brand-spanking-new roads. It's now hard
to imagine that this was the scene of great sporting exultation in 2008, but such is the fate
of most Olympics projects. Squinting in the sun, guards in ill-fitting black combat gear
|ARCHITECTURE
