China to issue special 10-yuan notes to mark Olympics

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, is to issue a commemorative bank note with a face value of 10 yuan ($1.46) from Tuesday to mark the Beijing Olympic Games, the bank said in a statement on Sunday.
The PBOC said it would issue a total of 6 million such notes, which would be circulated in the currency market with the same denomination as the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The new note, in cyan, is 148.5 millimeters long and 72 millimeters wide, according to the central bank. While the ordinary 10-yuan notes are in cobalt black, 140 millimeters long and 70 millimeters wide.
On one side is a picture of the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, the main venue for the Games in August. Above the picture is the emblem of the Beijing Games, "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing". The picture of national stadium and the emblem are both set against the backdrop of the Temple of Heaven, one of the country's best-known landmarks.
This takes the place of the portrait of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and China's national emblem on the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The other side features the famous ancient Greek marble statue of a discus-thrower, Discobolus, portraits of athletes and the Arabic numeral "2008".
These replace the drawing of the scenic Three Gorges, but the name of the PBOC in Chinese pinyin, Mongolian, Tibetan, Ugyur and Zhuang, remains in the top right corner.
The central bank also said it incorporated watermarks and other technologies to prevent counterfeiting of the notes.
A clear watermark appears on the picture of the National Stadium in the shape of the Arabic numeral "10" and the Games of XXIX Olympiad in the Chinese characters, said the bank.
Source: (China Daily)

At one-month mark, China making final Games preparations

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- With just 30 days until the Olympics opens, officials gathered here on Wednesday to review preparations for the event, with security and stadium management as priorities.
"We will do our utmost to fulfill the tasks in the final preparations. We will host exciting, wonderful and successful Olympics and Paralympic Games that will satisfy the world, the athletes and the audience," Vice President Xi Jinping told the gathering.
With assistance from the International Olympic Committee and the world, all preparations were going smoothly, he said, extending appreciation to those in China and abroad for contributing to the Games.
In the next 30 days, the country will repeatedly test its security measures to ensure the safety of the coming torch relay in Beijing, the events and the venues, he said.
The local governments of Beijing and its neighboring provinces were urged to finalize their security measures and develop contingency plans.
Residents are welcome to participate in the work, Xi said, adding: "We will enhance international cooperation in this aspect of the preparations."
Another major task will be to have test runs of the venues and improve their efficiency and management, Xi said. "We will test every detail at every post and make sure we find any flaws and correct them as quickly as possible, even during the Games."
Xi also promised to provide good service to journalists coming to cover the Games and good treatment for all foreign guests.
He urged relevant departments to ensure food safety, standard air quality and good traffic conditions, as well as water, power and gas supplies, and to avoid disturbing the daily life of the public.
"We should also do preparation work well for the Paralympics, which means checking working plans for the Paralympic stadiums, examining barrier-free facilities, and mobilizing the public to care about Paralympic sports," he said.
Chinese athletes should train well and prepare for the contests, he said, adding that strict penalties should be introduced against doping, to ensure that all athletes show good spirit and morality.
Xi also urged enhancement of the "civilization campaign" and etiquette education among the public. He said that local spectators should respect players from all over the world, to present a good image of China as a "country of etiquette."
Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also attended the meeting.
Source: http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/news/official/n214444408.shtml

Beijing opens new bus tour routes for Olympics

BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Two new sightseeing bus tour routes will soon be launched in Beijing to help visitors experience both the ancient and modern in the Chinese capital during the Olympics.
One route starts at Yongdingmen Gate in southern Beijing, and passes several major historic attractions including the Temple of Heaven, the Front Gate (Qianmen), the Tian'anmen Gate, Jingshan Park and the Drum Tower.
The other route starts at Datun, outside the north fourth ring road, and passes major Olympic venues and facilities like the Olympic Green, the Olympic village and the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium.
The new routes, measuring 18.1 km and 16.25 km respectively, would be operational starting July 20, according to the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Ltd. Group.
The tour buses would be double-deckers and air-conditioned.
The fare for the routes would be set in the next few days to come, said the group.
The spokesman said more special tour routes would be opened if they were called for.
The Beijing Olympics opens on Aug. 8.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/n214445747.shtml

Beijing offers free bus, subway for Olympic ticket holders

BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Beijing will offer free bus and subway services for Olympic ticket holders during the Games, as the Chinese capital gears up to provide swift transport for 8 million athletes, media people and spectators.
In addition, the city will extend the operation time of more than 350 bus routes and open 34 new routes connecting the city with each of the Olympic competition venue, according to Zhou Zhengyu, Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications director.
The authorities were still working on details for the free bus and subway services for spectators, reporters and Games' staff.
Spectators can take buses and subways free in downtown Beijing till 4 a.m. the next day of the ticket date. However, they would have to pay for buses on the outskirts of the city and the airport express subway.
Beijing is expect to handle 15 million bus trips per day and 21.1 million trips on its public transport network during the Games.
Beijing, which hosts the Olympics from Aug. 8 to 24 and the Paralympics from Sept. 6 to 17, is expected to draw about 500,000 overseas visitors during the Games period, according to a Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration forecast.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/n214445667.shtml