Beijing site of next Apec summit designed to impress
Yanqi Lake location for regional summit is meant to be a welcome - and welcoming - green departure from Beijing's tarnished, polluted image
In the three months since China announced it would host this year's Apec summit in Beijing, preparations have been well under way at Yanqi Lake, a popular tourist destination in the outskirts of the capital.
The overall conference- centre project, which began in 2009, is being developed by Beijing Enterprises Group Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned and Hong Kong-listed Beijing Enterprises Group.
It is hoped that the green development will present a new image of Beijing, which has been tarnished by years of haphazard development, heavily polluted air, congested roads and many old buildings torn down to give way to radical structures that seem out of place.
"A site away from the noise, pollution and heavy traffic in the city centre is ideal for such an important international conference," said Zhong Bing of AECOM, a global design firm commissioned to take charge of the overall planning on the islet.
"With this project, we are trying to preserve, as much as we can, the original habitat on the island and create buildings that fit with the surroundings. It will be a model of sustainable development in Beijing."