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New tunnel may help pay Bird’s Nest upkeep

By Cheng Anqi (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-08-09 17:20
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BEIJING - As Beijing marks the two-year anniversary of the Olympic Games, a 9.8-kilometer underground loop tunnel in central Olympic forest park is opening to traffic in the near future to reduce pressure of operation cost, Beijing News reported.

The tunnel, to be connected with a multi-functional shopping mall, is composed of 25 entrances and exits, and a two-story, 38,000-square-meter parking structure with 1,050 parking spaces.

"I hope the newly built tunnel and the shopping mall can bring the stadium more business opportunities," said Yang Cheng, deputy manager of the National Stadium Co, Ltd.

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Looking back at the efforts the organizers have made, he could hardly conceal his concern.

"The annual operations cost some 70 million yuan ($10.3 million), which is hardly matched with ticket revenue," he said, adding that tourism at the stadium and its related promotions like theme restaurants and large-scale performances will be tapped.

The Chinese government has been expending much care and labor to make the best of the city's prized centerpiece stadium since the Beijing Olympics fever faded. Before the venue came under new management, it was run by CITIC Investment Holdings, a private management company.

With the hope of garnering interest, the company introduced diverse events to draw crowds and pay the bills, including the Italian Super Cup final, Formula One, and the luxurious retelling of Puccini's opera "Turandot." It even hosted a mass Tai Chi exercise and a pop concert by kungfu legend Jackie Chan.

However, it failed to keep the 90,000-seat stadium out of the red.

In 2009, the government began its interference in the process, believing it could make a greater profit by running the venue.

Happy Snow and Ice Season last December was the first initiative at Bird's Nest since the venue came under new management last August.