When mainland authorities promised in 2001 to deliver an earthly miracle and present a new Beijing to the world with the 2008 Olympic Games, many regarded it as merely a slogan by the rising Asian power, eager to impress.
Instead, visitors from across the world arrived last year to find that one of the world's ancient capitals had transformed itself into a bustling city of metro lines, highways and modern skyscrapers. Structures such as the world's largest airport terminal, the surreal 'Bird's Nest' stadium and the China Central Television headquarters have become the city's new landmarks and icons of a modernising nation in pursuit of its new identity.
And Chinese people - especially Beijing natives - were mostly proud to be part of the transformation and basked in international praise.
They said Beijing's changes were best summed up by a popular Olympic theme song: 'Welcome to Beijing. We usher in a new world for you, and miracles are for those daring to try.'
Because of the Olympics, the government's spending on infrastructure increased by an average of 16 per cent a year from 2002 - surpassing that of previous Olympic host cities.
'Of course we're glad to see the changes', said Yu Kongjian, dean of the graduate school of landscape architecture at Peking University. 'Most of the projects built in the name of the Olympics should have been done anyway, but the event apparently accelerated the process in Beijing, with financial support from all over the country.'
