The Olympics' Impact on Beijing: Development, Cultural Heritage and Tourism

Since the early 1980s, China urban economic has been changing rapidly with a massive housing development, together with a heavy infrastructure. With significant socioeconomic development and a growing population, land-use efficiency is a big problem in China and it remains the issue today. Chinese government are found to be directly or indirectly linked to the intensive development of new housing in China. The capital city Beijing, known for its cultural heritage and aesthetic urban design, has been transformed into what we see today. This paper discusses the role that economic and cultural heritage has in shaping social capital in contemporary cities; the economic goods and the role it played. Particular attention is paid to the sustainability of the socio-economic development of this unique city in China and the potential role it could have on global economy. Heritage must not only be preserved, it must also be given a new and more prominent life in the community. Cultural heritage is not only an intangible, essential dimension of social life, but also that it is a true economic resource that can contribute to the “human development” of a community. With is globalization in full speed, the inherent “value” of cultural heritage is oftentimes challenged. What is clear now is that a fundamental way of life that has existed for hundreds of years is being change and creates new ones.