Beijing National Stadium facts for kids

For the indoor stadium in Beijing, see National Indoor Stadium.

Quick facts for kids
National Stadium
Construction
国家体育场·鸟巢
Bird's Nest

Exterior view of the stadium
Full name	National Stadium
Location	1 National Stadium South Road, Beijing, China
Public transit	8 15 Olympic Park 8 Olympic Sports Center
Executive suites	140
Capacity	80,000 (91,000 with temporary seats)
Record attendance	89,102 (Nigeria–Argentina Olympic football match, 23 August 2008)
Surface	Grass, All-weather running track
Broke ground	24 December 2003; 21 years ago (2003-12-24)
Built	2003–2008
Opened	28 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-28)
Construction cost	CN¥2.3 billion
Architect	Herzog & de Meuron ArupSport China Architectural Design & Research Group Ai Weiwei (Artistic consultant)
Structural engineer	Arup
Tenants
China national football team (selected matches) China women's national football team (selected matches) China national basketball team (2009–2010)

Beijing National Stadium

Simplified Chinese

北京国家体育场

Traditional Chinese

北京國家體育場

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Běijīng Guójiā Tǐyùchǎng
Wade–Giles	Pěichīng Kwóchiā T'ǐyǜch'ǎng
Yale Romanization	Běijīng Gwójyā Tǐyùchǎng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Bàk gìng Gwok gà Tái yuhk chèuhng
Jyutping	Bak¹ging¹ Gwok³gaa¹ Tai²juk⁶coeng⁴
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Pak-kiaⁿ Kok-ka Thái-io̍k-tiûⁿ

Alternative Chinese name

Simplified Chinese

鸟巢

Traditional Chinese

鳥巢

Literal meaning

Bird's Nest

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Niǎo Cháo
Wade–Giles	Niǎo Ch'áo
Yale Romanization	Nyǎu Cháu
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Níuh Chàauh
Jyutping	Niu⁵ Caau⁴
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Chiáu Châu

The National Stadium in Beijing, China, is also known as the Bird's Nest. It is a famous stadium located in the Olympic Green area. This huge stadium covers an area of 204,000 square meters.

It can hold 80,000 people, but it had 91,000 seats with temporary additions for the Olympics. Construction began in December 2003 and finished in June 2008.

The stadium was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Paralympics. It was also used for the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Bird's Nest at night during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games

Building the Bird's Nest
Stadium Features and Events
Images for kids
See also

Building the Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest in 2008

The stadium is in Beijing's Olympic Green and cost about US$428 million to build. In April 2003, a design from a Swiss company called Herzog & de Meuron was chosen. This design looked like a bird's nest.

A famous Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, helped as an artistic consultant. The stadium officially opened on June 28, 2008. There are plans to add a shopping mall and a hotel to help the stadium be used more often.

Choosing the Design

In 2001, Beijing held a contest to find the best design for the stadium. The designs needed to be useful after the Olympics. They also had to include a retractable roof and be cheap to maintain.

Thirteen designs made it to the final round. The "nest" design was very popular with both experts and the public. It was officially chosen in April 2003.

How the Stadium Was Designed

Under construction in September 2007

The Beijing National Stadium was a team effort. Architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron worked with Stefan Marbach and a Chinese design group. They wanted to create a building that felt "porous" and like a "public vessel."

They looked at Chinese ceramics for ideas, which led to the "nest" shape. The stadium has two main parts: an inner concrete bowl for seats and an outer steel frame. These parts stand about 50 feet apart.

The designers added many steel beams to make the stadium look like a random nest. This also helped hide the supports for the roof. However, after a roof collapse at another airport, the retractable roof was removed from the plans. This change made the building lighter and safer for earthquakes. It also helped save money.

Building the Structure

Building the stadium happened in several steps. First, workers built a concrete base and supporting structure. Then, they installed the curved steel frame around the stadium.

Sections of the steel frame were made in Shanghai and brought to Beijing. Workers then welded these sections together to create the "nest" shape. Once the supports were removed, the huge steel structure settled about 27 centimeters. This made it stable for the rest of the building work.

Finishing the Project

Construction started on December 24, 2003. At its busiest, 17,000 workers were building the stadium. All 121,000 tons of steel used were made in China.

The grass field was laid in just 24 hours on May 14, 2008. The Beijing National Stadium officially opened on June 28, 2008.

Stadium Features and Events

The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The cauldron that would burn for the duration of the games is pictured on the left hand side, hidden in darkness away from the spectators.

The eastern and western parts of the stadium are taller. This helps everyone get a better view. A system near the stadium collects rainwater 24 hours a day. This purified water is used all around the stadium.

Pipes under the field help control the temperature. They gather heat in winter to warm the stadium and release heat in summer to cool it. The stadium was first planned for 100,000 people. But the design was simplified, reducing the capacity to 91,000. After the 2008 Olympics, 11,000 temporary seats were removed, bringing the capacity to 80,000.

The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It also held athletic events and the football final. The 2008 Summer Paralympics also used the stadium for its ceremonies and athletic events.

Football Matches

The Bird's Nest has hosted many football events. The Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup) final was played there in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

Friendly matches between international clubs have also taken place. For example, Birmingham City played Beijing Guoan in 2010. Arsenal and Manchester City played in the 'China Cup' in 2012. A match between Manchester City and Manchester United was cancelled in 2016 due to heavy rain.

Other Sports and Events

The stadium has hosted many different kinds of events. In 2009, it held the 2009 Race of Champions motor racing event. The FIA Formula E Championship also raced at the Beijing Olympic Park in 2014 and 2015.

The IAAF chose the stadium for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. This event will return to the stadium in 2027.

In 2017, the stadium hosted Monster Jam and Stadium Super Trucks races. It also held the finals for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship, a huge video game competition.

The stage for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship finals between SK Telecom T1 and Samsung Galaxy

Concerts and Shows

Many famous artists have performed at the Bird's Nest. Jackie Chan and over 100 other artists performed there in 2009. Song Zuying was the first artist to hold a solo concert there in 2009.

The Taiwanese band Mayday has held many concerts at the stadium. They were the first act to hold 2, 3, 6, and even 10 consecutive concerts there. Other artists like Wang Leehom, S.M. Entertainment artists, Jason Zhang, and Hua Chenyu have also performed.

From 2014 to 2022, the finals for the Chinese singing competition Sing! China were held at the stadium.

After the Olympics

After the 2008 Olympics, the stadium's owners planned to turn it into a shopping and entertainment complex. These plans were expected to take several years. The stadium also became a popular tourist spot.

Even without many big events, the stadium makes money from tourists. About 20,000 to 30,000 people visit each day, paying a 50 yuan admission fee. In 2010, it was even used as a snow theme park. The stadium costs about US$9 million each year to maintain.

The stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2022 Winter Paralympics. This makes it the only stadium to host both Summer and Winter Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.