BEIJING — Where Michael Phelps last summer swam for the Olympic gold, there are now swans -- or at least ballerinas and synchronized swimmers pretending to be swans, plus a few plastic ones for good measure.
The Water Cube, officially known as the National Aquatics Center, has gotten a whole new life post-Olympics.
Defying the destiny of most Olympic venues to become white elephants, the bubble-clad wonder has been in almost constant use since the 2008 Summer Games. It is leased out for weddings and corporate galas. By day, members of the public can pay $7 to swim in the warm-up pool and, as at China's other public pools, undergo a quick health check and swim test.
And now the Water Cube is the site of an unusual production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." The Imperial Russian Ballet is performing on platforms constructed alongside and on top of the pools. Completing the effect of the extravaganza, synchronized swimmers kick their legs out of the water like burlesque dancers; fiberglass swans the size of paddle boats float around the edge of the pool; stunt divers plunge off the high board in the adjacent pool, used for the Olympic diving competitions.
The distinction of the Water Cube, designed by a consortium of Australian and Chinese architects, is the exterior, with its 3,000 air cushions that are supposed to convey the essence of water. The effect, especially at night, is stunning: The building looks like a swimming pool turned inside out, casting a turquoise glow on everything around it.
"It is a magical building," said Maggie Miao, a clerk at the souvenir shop in the lobby, ringing up the receipts after a performance of "Swan Lake."
The building has inspired lines of jewelry, teapots, watches, key chains, purses, liquor and perfume bottles, thermoses, towels, swim goggles and bathing suits. There's even a Water Cube line of, yes, just plain water. A $200 cellphone covered in rubbery turquoise bubbles sold out quickly and is now available only on the Internet.
On the other hand, the shape of the "Bird's Nest," the national athletic stadium that housed track and field events during the Games, lends itself more readily to souvenir ashtrays. The $500-million structure was supposed to be the signature building of the Olympics. But the colossus of twisted steel has been scorned as a classic case of China's "edifice complex" -- too big, too expensive, too intimidating.
