The Olympic Village, covering an area of 66 hectares, is located at the northwest corner of the Beijing Olympic Green, with the Olympic competition venues to its south and the Olympic Forest Park to its north.

The Olympic Village is divided into three areas: the Residential District, (where 205 delegations will reside); the International District (the region that provides business services including banks) and the Operational District (the area that provides support services such as logistics and communications). Athletes' apartments are within the six or nine-story buildings.

The apartment buildings for athletes, in the south of the village, cover an area of 27.55 hectares and a floor area of 524,000 square meters. They include 20, nine-story buildings; 22, six-story buildings; three Super Resident Centers; nine Resident Centers and facilities including the Polyclinic and the Casual Dining Hall.

The overlay area in the north of the village will provide services including arrival, accreditation, leisure, catering, fitness and departure for athletes coming to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. There will be the Welcome Ceremony Stage, the Village Mayor Office, the Dining Hall, the shopping center, the logistics center and accreditation center.

The Olympic Village will open on July 27, 2008 and close on August 28, 2008. The Olympic Village will function as the Paralympic Village during the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Village will open on August 30 and close on September 20.

Currently, the construction of the Olympic Village is largely completed. The full loading test is scheduled to be carried out before July 8, 2008, when the lockdown begins, according to the actual need during the Games-time.

During the test, shower water, potable water, tap water, drainage, outdoor and indoor lighting, elevator, intelligentization and other systems will be tested; the water reclamation heat pump system will be put into operation for cooling purposes with automatic control; the BOCOG operations team will move in and other facilities will be loaded.

Setting: Groundbreaking for the Olympic Village took place on June 26, 2005 -- a key element of the Olympic Green complex -- 517,000 square meters in scope.

Status: The Olympic Village is scheduled to be transferred to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Spring 2008.

Opening: The Olympic Village will be opened to athletes and officials on July 27, 2008 (two weeks prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games).

Housing: The Olympic Village provides accommodations for 16,000 athletes and officials during the Olympic Games and 7,000 athletes and officials during the Paralympic Games of 2008.

The residential area of the Olympic Village will consist of 22, six-floor buildings and 20, nine-floor buildings, as well as a clinic, restaurants, a library, a recreation center, gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts and jogging tracks. The International area of the village will be used for the NOC team-welcome ceremonies and for other reception activities.

Each athlete apartment is equipped with broadband internet; infrared theft-proof alarm system and a high-tech fingerprint lock systems.

Location: The Olympic Village (which covers a total area of 66 hectares) lies at the North end of Beijing’s central axis and has the Olympic Forest Park to its North and the major Olympic venues to its South. The village will join a long list of important sites on the central axis, including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.

Green Village: The Olympic Village will feature many environmentally friendly designs and facilities. The amount of green space in the residential area of the Village will be about 40%, rising to 50% for the entire complex.

Solar power is being used to light lawns, courtyards and streets throughout the Olympic Village. A rain water collecting and reuse system will also be employed and all toilets will use water-saving technology. In the Olympic Village, a 6,000 square meter solar hot water-heating collecting tube technology system -- connecting all the apartments of the complex and auxiliary facilities - will be used throughout the Games.

At the Olympic Village, reclaimed water from the Qinghe sewage treatment plant is being utilized for heating and cooling systems and approximately 60 percent in electrical savings is anticipated.

Legacy: Once the Paralympic Games are concluded, the Olympic Village will be taken over by a private development company, which will remodel the apartments into residential buildings. This will ensure that the Village continues to serve the Beijing community long after the Games are finished. The residential project will be on the market before the Olympic Games begin.

The Olympic Village will close on August 27. During the Paralympics, the Olympic Village will change into the Paralympic Village and it will open August 30 and close September 20.

The Residential District has 12 service centers to provide accommodations, front desk services and related information. Restaurants and snack bars in the Residential Area will available on a 24-hour basis to meet the needs of people of different ethnic groups and different religious beliefs. The indoor living area has a fitness training center, jogging path, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts and other recreational facilities; as well as a sports cafe, game room, DVD centre and other entertainment facilities.

A 600 square meter religious service facility for five major religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) will be offered in the village center.

The Beijing Olympic Village occupies 66 hectares, to its south is the main Olympic stadium; and to the north, the Olympic Forest Park, which is a beautiful environment that is easily accessible to all athletes It is located on the northern end of greater Beijing, and is an important component of the Olympic Green.

The international area of the Beijing Olympic Village will have a courtyard-shaped commercial area.

In addition to banks, shopping facilities, tea houses and coffee shops, the Beijing Olympic Village will offer a commercial facility tailored like a traditional Beijing Siheyuan -- a courtyard surrounding by houses. At the entrance of the village, Chinese elements will also be seen.

Various art performances, including Chinese traditional arts, will be staged at the flag-raising square at the International area.

At the "Peace Square" of the Olympic Village, Taiji boxing and other Chinese martial arts will be performed to let athletes from other countries experience Beijingers' morning exercises.

Normal beds at the village would measure 1mx2m … but the one for Yao Ming might be as big as 2mx4m (or larger if needed).

The main restaurant in the Olympic Village can seat 5,000 guests and offers 24-hour-service for a variety of dishes.

A fire station has been set up inside the Beijing Olympic Village. This is the first fire station to be established within a Beijing Olympic site. The station is attached to the Beijing Fire Department Chaoyang District Sub-department. The station employs state-of-the-art firefighting equipment to ensure the safety of the Olympic Village.

(China.org.cn March 5, 2008)