The Water Cube, the showcase venue for water sports at this summer's Olympics, was opened to the public yesterday.
"It is an ideal venue in every sense," said Li Aiqing, president of the Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd, which now officially runs the building.
After the Games, we will make it an affordable complex for entertainment, sports and shopping," he told local and international journalists.
"I also hope to bring my daughter here for something like 30 yuan ($4.20) so we can splash together."
Formally known as the National Aquatics Center, the building is widely recognized for its unique, bubble-like outer padding made of ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene plastic pillows, which glisten in the sun.
Designers from China and Australia were behind the structure.
Inside the 11,000-seat venue, the swimming and diving pools are already filled with water, while the blue and white seats mirror the color of the water and bubbled ceiling.
"This is the biggest, most unique and most complex water sports venue in the world," Li said.
"The water in the pool is even better than drinking water."
The Water Cube's distinctive air cushions have mechanisms to help keep birds from affecting the structure, which cost 1.02 billion yuan.
Funding came mostly from wealthy Chinese living outside the mainland.
"We won't let woodpeckers get near the venue," said Zheng Fang, an architect who worked on the project.
The pool will be tested in a trial starting on Thursday, about four years after construction began.
During the Olympics from August 8-24, the Cube will host swimming, diving and synchronized swimming events, with a total of 42 gold medals up for grabs.
Questions:
1. What is the formal name of the Water Cube?
2. How much did it cost to build the Water Cube?
3. Who paid for most of the construction costs?
Answers:
1.The National Aquatics Center.
2.1.02 billion yuan.
3.Wealthy Chinese living outside of China.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
