* In the magnificent and dazzling Olympic spaces, we get to know more about ourselves, make our dreams come true and enjoy the feeling of interdependence. We also find a model for smart cities and low-carbon life in the future.
* Sports and architecture both encourage people to find their better selves. I hope we can bring the energy of working for the Beijing Winter Olympics into future projects and mobilize more people to find their better selves in city life.
* Every participant in venue design, construction and organization for the Games is a valuable part of the Olympic legacy. We try to record our experiences for the benefits of the future generations and solve the present problems with a mindset of looking into the future.
by Xinhua writer Zhao Yang
BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Athletes and spectators worldwide have been amazed by the various competition venues of the Beijing Winter Olympics, with their distinctive designs and features. Now the buildings are about to open to the public and will perform a new role, demonstrating China's aspirations for a sustainable future.
"The legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics can be described in just one word, which is 'sustainability'," said Zhang Li, architect-in-chief of the Zhangjiakou competition zone and Big Air Shougang, hailing a range of unique solutions, such as combining the needs of the athletes and citizens, and promoting ecological reclamation and urban transformation.
OLYMPIC LEGEND GOES ON
With its elegant shape and ice smooth as a mirror, the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing is widely known as the "Ice Ribbon." It has witnessed around a dozen of Olympic and world records broken at the venue during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zheng Fang, the oval's principal architect, still remembers how excited he was when he noticed that the transparent exterior looked like ribbons of ice covering the venue when he created the concept sketches in 2016.
"At that moment, I decided to name it 'Ice Ribbon', and I believe people will like it and hope it will be known all over the world," he said.
Canadian speed skater Isabelle Weidemann was also impressed, commenting, "Absolutely, it's a beautiful oval. I think we're happy to be here. We're so excited to be racing."
In the post-Olympic time, the venue will stay to tell Beijing's legendary accomplishment as the only dual Olympic city in the world.
In the near future, it will become a large-scale ice-sports center open to the public in all seasons, as well as being a venue for international events. The vast expanse of ice, which is about 12,000 square meters, can accommodate a wide range of sports, such as speed skating, figure skating and curling.
