A Little Olympics History:
The first recorded Olypmic Games started in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC. Athletes and spectators alike came to participate in honor of the god, Zeus. These ancient games were held every four years until late 4th century AD. The Olympic Games were revived by a Frenchman and held in 1896 by the International Olympic Committee, which was formed a couple of years earlier. Today, Beijing, China has the bragging rights to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

2008 Olympic Games in Beijing:
When Beijing (the "j"in Beijing should be pronounced with a hard "j" as in jet) narrowly beat out Toronto, Canada in 2001 to host the 2008 Olympics, the powers that be in Beijing considered the win a recognition of Beijing, or China's, emergence. But, there was a lot of work to be done.

Even four years ago, Beijing seemed a lot more earthy. There were many more rough, rugged yet hutong areas, the streets were a bit dirtier and less accessible and the tourist attractions, less accessible. In light of the Olympics and Paralympics, it'd be hard to find any trash on the sidewalks or streets in the 2nd Ring Road, especially surrounding the Palace Museum, Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven. It's also hard to find a tourist attraction that is not accessible now.

Beijing has done quite a few things to spruce up for the Olympics. It's cleaned up its city, demolished and/or closed off some of the undesirable parts of the city (i.e., hutongs south of Qianmen Lu) and feverishly worked on controlling air pollution. Beijing also built a massive 1,135 hectacres area known as the Olympic Green where the Olympic Village will house athletes and where some grand venues for the Olympics sporting events will be held.

There are 31 sports venues in Beijing for the nearly 10,500 athletes who will be competing in the Olympics. A couple of standouts are the bubbly Aquatic Center and the National Stadium. The National Stadium is referred to as the Bird Nest because its structure resembles - you guessed it - a bird's nest. As the centerpiece of the Beijing Olympics and as a symbol of Beijing's pride, the National Stadium is the site of the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies.

Beijing has certainly geared up to stage the world's most spectacular sporting event. If Beijing's intention is to impress the world by beautifying itself, it's done a helluva job.