OLYMPICS:The Beijing that will greet over half a million overseas and two-million Chinese visitors expected to come to the city for the games is a fundamentally different one from the cosmologically designed ancient capital built by the emperors back in the 14th century. Even chairman Mao Zedong, the godfather of the Chinese Revolution in 1949, who died just over 30 years ago, would hardly recognise the northern capital.

Cities usually witness this kind of profound change during a devastating war - whole swathes of the ancient city have been flattened to make way for an Olympic-centred makeover, with entire communities banished to the suburbs to make way for a truly 21st-century megalopolis.

While much of the reconstruction of Beijing would have happened anyway, driven by double-digit economic growth in China and the opening up of the country to foreign investment, the Olympics have played a powerful symbolic role in shifting development from the mainland's biggest city and financial capital, Shanghai, to the traditionally sleepy political centre Beijing.

An entire subway network, as distinct from the long-time scattering of metropolitan lines, is being built in the name of the games. Magnificent buildings such as Rem Koolhaas's CCTV building, which will be one of the architectural wonders of the world when it is finished, are coming to fruition because of impetus provided by the Olympics.

"Every Olympics is different," said Sun Weide, who once worked at the Chinese embassy in Dublin and is deputy director for communications of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

"For Beijing our goal is to have high-level Olympic Games with Chinese characteristics with a strong legacy. We will have 31 high-level competitive venues for the event," said Sun.

Of these, 11 are existing arenas, while eight are temporary. Eight of the Olympic venues will be finished this month and most of the rest by the end of the year.

The Olympic Stadium

This Herzog & de Meuron-designed structure will be ready in March 2008, a bit longer than expected because of its multi-functional role, said Sun. The 3.13-billion yuan (a300 million), 91,000-seat stadium will host the opening ceremony and athletics and football.

The steel superstructure, which gives the distinctive stadium its "Bird's Nest" nickname, is already looming over the city's fourth ring road.

The Water Cube

This shimmering blue block, due for completion in October, will host swimming, diving and synchronised swimming and will seat 17,000, some 6,000 of the seats being permanent and 11,000 temporary.

The Olympic Village

The Olympic Village will be in the west of the city, and it is hoped it will be used in the long term as a residential area in a part of the city dominated by the capital's main universities.

National Indoor Stadium

This will host artistic gymnastics, trampolining and handball and is due to be finished before the end of the year. The capacity allows for 18,000 permanent seats and 2,000 temporary.

Beijing Shooting Range

This has already been handed over to the organisers. It has 2,300 permanent seats and 6,700 temporary.

The Workers' Stadium

This famous site in the eastern part of the city has been renovated as one of the football stadiums and is due to be finished before the end of this year. It has a capacity of 64,000.

The Workers' Indoor Arena

The indoor arena beside the Workers' Stadium will host boxing and is expected to be finished before the end of the year. It has a 12,000 permanent capacity, with 1,000 temporary seats.

- Clifford Coonan