每日电讯报 中国摩天巨轮要超越伦敦眼

北京兴建世界最大摩天轮的工作已经开始，这是2008年奥运前中国雄心的另一个标志。

　　中国的摩天巨轮将在2009年完工，高682英尺，比伦敦眼高出239英尺。

　　伦敦眼为纪念2000年千禧年而开放，此后，它接待过3000多万访客。在伦敦眼开放之前，摩天轮被视为古玩。

　　北京的摩天轮将承载1920名乘客，48个舱每个可容纳40人。建造巨轮的大飞轮集团主席富抱轮（Florian Bollen）表示，这是俯瞰城市的完美办法。

　　尽管这个摩天轮的票价比伦敦的便宜，很可能是100元人民币（合6.5英磅）每人，而伦敦眼的票价是13英镑，但在北京声名狼藉的烟雾中，能见度可能不怎么好。

　　根据《北京日报》的报道，奥运狂热的另一个迹象是，该国近3500名年轻居民以“奥运”命名。据说自从2000年以来，就有很多孩子（差不多都是男孩）被命名为“奥运”。（作者 Richard Spencer）

Great Wheel of China to take on London Eye

By Richard Spencer in Beijing

Last Updated: 2:07am GMT 06/11/2007

Work has begun in Beijing to build the world's biggest Ferris wheel, in another sign of China's ambitions before the 2008 Olympics.

When completed in 2009, the Great Wheel of China will be 682ft high, towering over the London Eye by 239ft.

Ferris wheels were regarded as something of a curio until the London Eye opened to mark the Millennium in 2000. Since then, it has had more than 30 million passengers.

The Beijing wheel will carry 1,920 passengers, 40 to each of 48 18-ton pods.

Florian Bollen, the chairman of the Great Wheel Corporation which is building the wheel, said: "They are the perfect way to get an overview of a city when you arrive."

advertisementBut while the wheel is cheaper than London's, probably costing 100 yuan (£6.50) per person, compared with the Eye's £13, visibility in Beijing's notorious smog may not be so good.

In another sign of Olympic fever, nearly 3,500 of the country's younger residents are named "Olympics", according to The Beijing Daily.

It said the children, nearly all male, had been named "Ao Yun", the first two characters of the Chinese for Olympic Games, since 2000.