China ready “to outdo the rest of the world”
BEIJING – “Beijing’s stunning new airport terminal is due to open tomorrow.
According to the BBC’s James Reynolds, “It’s more like a small country than an airport terminal.“
“Architects, Foster and Partners, describe it as the biggest building in the world, and it is larger than all the terminals of London’s Heathrow airport put together.
“If you ever manage to get out here, China wants you to be impressed, preferably awe-struck, as soon as you land,“ said Reynolds.
“From the sky, the new airport terminal is designed to look like a Chinese dragon – although this is not immediately obvious.
“Skylights in the roof are meant to symbolise the dragon’s scales.“
When it is open, the terminal will be able to handle 50 million passengers a year.
Beijing’s terminal is twice the size and about half the cost of Heathrow’s new Terminal Five, which is due to open next month.
“It takes the same amount of time to build that entire airport as one terminal in terms of just the public inquiry [for Heathrow],” says architect Lord Foster.
“But what took 200 years to urbanise here in Europe is taking just 20 years in China. So the pace of change is extraordinarily fast.”
The new Olympic stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, will be finished in a few weeks’ time.
An elaborate new concert hall, designed to look like a UFO, has just opened for its first performance – in the city’s eastern district.
The jagged towers of China Central Television’s new headquarters are rising quickly.
“This city is spending $39bn to look good for the Olympics,” said Reynolds.
One human rights group, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, says that 1.25 million people have been moved from their homes to make way for construction.
But Beijing officials are proud of the speed of their work. So there was one question to put to them at the news conference marking the opening of the new airport, said the BBC reporter.
“Beijing’s new terminal took four years, Heathrow nearly 20 – whose way is best?” Reynolds asked.
The officials on stage laughed.
“London took 20 years – so they have a long-term view in design,” said Dong Zhiyi from Beijing Capital International Airport, as politely as he could.
“As for us, we did it in four years in order to realise the dream of the Chinese people.
“In China we have a different cultural background. We have a tradition in China of focusing all of our resources into a big project.
“The opening of Terminal Three is proof of the Chinese people’s talent and hard work.”
The crowd watching the news conference then applauded.
Said Reynolds, “The people of Beijing do not have a say in how their city develops. In return, they get a brand-new modern airport.”
“Their country is now ready to outdo the rest of the world.”
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt