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Bird's Nest hatching new money-making idea

By Qin Zhongwei andYang Wanli (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-15 07:54

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Terracotta warriors made of chocolate will be displayed at a Chocolate Wonderland near the Bird's Nest. [China Daily]

People will be able to look back on the golden days of the 2008 Beijing Olympics when a new museum opens in China's National Stadium in the latest push to earn more revenue from the iconic landmark.

Experts from the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage (BMACH), which is in charge of the museum project, went to the stadium - known to most people as Bird's Nest Stadium - this week to work on the idea, said Xiang Jun, deputy general manager of National Stadium Co Ltd, yesterday. The museum plan is not cast in stone yet, but Xiang said it looks like a winner.

"We just had a preliminary discussion. It's too soon to talk about the details (such as ticket prices and when the facility will open)," he told METRO yesterday.

Representatives from BMACH were even more cautious yesterday.

Yin Jun, a spokesperson with BMACH, said the location of the museum has not yet been settled.

"I have consulted with our relevant department and the final decision has not yet been made," Yin said.

According to Beijing Youth Daily, the museum is likely to cover 10,000 sq m, which is around the size of two football fields. The newspaper said it will be located on the ground floor on the south side of the stadium.

The museum will likely contain much of Beijing's Olympic legacy, including such artifacts as costumes worn by participants of the opening and closing ceremonies and the Chinese Fou (or drum) used during the ceremony.

Officials have been looking for ways to turn a profit from the 3.6-billion yuan architectural wonder ever since the curtain fell on the Games a year and a half ago.

Statistics from the reform and development commission in Chaoyang district say the stadium has earned 370 million yuan so far, according to Beijing Youth Daily. Revenues from the National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube, have reached 150 million yuan.

And outside the stadium, a 20,000-sq-m Chocolate Wonderland will open on Jan 29, according to Zhao Jingbo, the sales director for the project.