The miracle that was Beijing during the Olympics seems to be a distant dream now. The Bird's Nest stadium with it's incredible architectural design sits empty. This year there was one event scheduled for it, a soccer game whose teams decided to change venues since the 90,000 seat stadium would feel empty with the 10,000 people attracted for an average game.
The stadium built for baseball that opened last spring is being demolished to make way for a shopping center. The Aquatic Center has become a site for sound and light shows, with dancing fountains in the pool where the events took place.
Everywhere in downtown Beijing the shiny new buildings that pierce the sky may sparkle at night with computerized light shows, but during the day they are empty husks. Some have no tenants whatsoever according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.
The scene sounds like downtown Houston a few years back when the first oil bust happened. Many of the skyscrapers are literally "see through" buildings, with completed outer walls and windows but nothing inside. The Chinese boom has ended with a thud.
The sad part is that 1.5 million people were displaced from their homes to build the venues for the games. Equally as bad is the fact that many of the entrepreneurs who spearheaded these projects saw the problem approaching and simply took the money and fled the country.
I guess there are Bernie Madoffs everywhere?
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