Beijing has been decorated with featured ornaments and lighting to welcome the upcoming Winter Olympics and the Spring Festival, which will take place in less than two weeks.
Hundreds of Winter Olympic-themed installations are in place around Beijing, adding some atmosphere for the Games to the city. Many pedestrians stopped to take photos with the two adorable Olympic mascots, “Bing Dwen Dwen” and “Shuey Rhon Rhon”.
“As a Beijing girl, of course I want to make my contribution to the Winter Olympics. After Beijing won the bid, my family and I visited the Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) and other Olympics venues,” said Yang Fan, a Beijing resident.
Beijing has been putting up decorations to welcome the Olympics since early January. As the Games are coinciding with the Spring Festival holidays, the installations integrate Chinese symbols like traditional new year paintings with ice and snow elements.
“As the Winter Olympics is approaching, we can see Winter Games elements everywhere in Beijing. Today when I was passing by, I came here specially to take a photo, because it’s a rare chance to experience Winter Olympics in Beijing,” said Zhou Xiaoxuan, a resident.
At night, the Chinese knot installation on Tian’anmen Square and more than 200,000 red lanterns all across the city emit a warm red glow, creating a festive atmosphere.
Light shows illuminate the Big Air Shougang ski jumping and snowboarding venue and the cooling towers around it. The show uses three-dimensional projection technology, featuring elements of both Winter Olympics and Spring Festival.
The Winter Olympics will take place between Feb. 4 and 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13. The Spring Festival falls on Feb. 1 this year.