Twin Icons of Olympic Spirit: A Comprehensive Guide to Bird’s Nest & Water Cube

Located in the central area of Beijing Olympic Green, the Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (National Aquatics Center) are iconic buildings of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and important venues for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Standing opposite each other across the road, they complement each other, engraving glorious Olympic memories and becoming new cultural and tourism landmarks in Beijing with their unique architectural aesthetics. This area, carrying the concept of “One World, One Dream”, has transformed from an Olympic competition venue into a comprehensive space integrating sports events, cultural performances and tourism, attracting millions of Chinese and foreign tourists every year to experience the integration of Olympic spirit and modern architectural art.

Known as the Bird’s Nest, the National Stadium gets its name from its main steel structure resembling a nest built by birds. Co-designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang, it covers a total construction area of 258,000 square meters and can accommodate 91,000 spectators. Its architectural design breaks through the pattern of traditional stadiums, adopting a giant portal rigid frame structure supported by 24 truss columns. The total weight of the steel structure reaches 42,000 tons, yet it exudes a sense of lightness and transparency, showing both the power aesthetics of the industrial age and the vivid charm of natural ecology. In 2008, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games as well as core events such as athletics and football. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, it once again became the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, becoming the world’s first stadium to host both Summer and Winter Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, creating a miracle in Olympic history.

Today, the Bird’s Nest has become a multi-functional cultural and tourism complex, offering a variety of experience projects for visitors. The core experience “Bird’s Nest Panoramic Tour” takes visitors to the top of the stadium’s steel structure, walking on the high-altitude walkway to overlook the entire Olympic Green and the Beijing Central Axis. When the sun sets, the golden afterglow sprinkles on the steel structure, presenting a particularly spectacular scene. For families with children and ice-snow lovers, the Bird’s Nest launches the “Joyful Ice and Snow Season” every winter, featuring ski runs, ice sculpture exhibitions, snow entertainment and other projects, allowing visitors to experience the fun of ice-snow sports in the Olympic venue. In addition, “watching concerts at the Bird’s Nest” has become a trend. It holds dozens of large-scale cultural performances every year, and has become one of China’s top performance venues with excellent sound effects and venue scale, with annual attendance ranking among the top in the country.

In sharp contrast to the grandeur of the Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube is famous for its flexible and transparent blue crystal shape. Co-created by a Chinese designer team and overseas teams, it covers a total construction area of 79,500 square meters and can accommodate 17,000 spectators. The core of its architecture is the unique ETFE membrane structure, composed of 14,300 air cushions covering an area of 100,000 square meters. This material is light and has strong light transmittance, presenting a dreamy blue luster through sunlight during the day and shining like a crystal clear blue magic cube after being illuminated by lights at night, becoming the most dazzling night scene in the Olympic Green. The ETFE membrane structure technology of the Water Cube not only shows cutting-edge architectural technology but also realizes the concept of energy conservation and environmental protection. The air cushions can adjust transparency according to light intensity, effectively reducing venue energy consumption.

As the venue for Olympic water sports, the Water Cube has witnessed the birth of numerous world records. In 2008, events such as swimming, diving and synchronized swimming of the Olympic Games were held here. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, it was transformed into a curling venue through “water-ice conversion” technology, continuing the Olympic legend. Today, the Water Cube is open to visitors, including the Olympic competition hall and warm-up pool. Visitors can visit the Olympic podium and athletes’ rest area up close to feel the glory of champions. For young visitors, the Water Cube launches the “Overnight Camp at Water Cube” activity, including Olympic knowledge lectures, curling experiences, starlight tent camping and other sessions, allowing children to immerse themselves in Olympic culture. In addition, the Water Cube often holds cultural activities such as synchronized swimming musicals and light shows, perfectly integrating sports and art.

The night view of the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube is a must-see in Beijing. Their lighting designs are unique and echo each other. The Bird’s Nest uses warm yellow lights to outline the tough lines of the steel structure, and the venue at night is like a sleeping giant bird, quiet and powerful. The Water Cube takes blue lights as the main tone, which can switch light effects according to different themes. During festivals, it also presents dynamic light shows, with blue light shining with the night sky, extremely dreamy. Especially during holidays such as the Spring Festival, the Bird’s Nest lights are extended to the early morning, and the Water Cube also launches themed light activities, becoming a popular check-in spot for Beijing’s night cultural tourism.

For travel tips, tickets need to be purchased separately: the regular visit ticket for the Bird’s Nest is 50 yuan, and the panoramic tour ticket is 130 yuan; the regular visit ticket for the Water Cube is 30 yuan, and some experience projects require additional fees. International visitors can buy tickets through the WeChat mini-program “Chaopiao”, the official WeChat account of the Water Cube or on-site ticket windows. The opening hours will be adjusted during holidays such as the Spring Festival, and the Bird’s Nest usually closes at 22:00. It is recommended to check the latest notice in advance. For transportation, it is recommended to take Metro Line 8 or 15 to Olympic Park Station and walk to the venue; you can also take buses such as No. 82, 419 and 538 to National Stadium East Station, directly reaching the east entrance of the Bird’s Nest.

It is recommended to visit the Olympic Forest Park together to form a “Vibrant Olympic Tour”. Visitors must carry their ID documents when entering the venues. Lighters and flammable and explosive items are prohibited in the venues, but small-capacity power banks and water cups are allowed. Sunscreen is necessary for summer visits, and a light jacket is recommended as the temperature inside the Water Cube is relatively low. To enjoy the night view, it is recommended to enter the park after 17:00, which allows you to visit the venue interior and watch the whole process of lights turning on, fully experiencing the unique charm of the two Olympic landmarks.