A thick haze can be seen as tourists and local Chinese walk along the Olympic Green area in Beijing August 7, 2009. With one year passing since Beijing hosted a spectacular summer Olympics, in which the city spent billions of dollars on roads, subways, parks and a vast airport terminal, the lasting legacy of improved infrastructure has not been matched by the environment and rights gains the government promised, say critics, pointing to the grey skies and overwhelming political controls that still exist. Reuters Pictures 3 months ago

A thick haze can be seen as tourists and local Chinese walk along the Olympic Green area in Beijing August 7, 2009. With one year passing since Beijing hosted a spectacular summer Olympics, in which the city spent billions of dollars on roads, subways, parks and a vast airport terminal, the lasting legacy of improved infrastructure has not been matched by the environment and rights gains the government promised, say critics, pointing to the grey skies and overwhelming political controls that still exist.

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  1. A woman pushes a child in a stroller past a night club and restaurant called Chocolate in Beijing on September 17, 2009. China plans to cater to the country's rising number of chocoholics with the opening next year of a Willy Wonka-style theme park in Beijing, complete with a replica Great Wall, according to state media. The 'world chocolate dream park', reminiscent of Roald Dahl's beloved book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', will feature a life-size edible Terracotta Army, Great Wall and versions of famous paintings and is due to open in January 2010, located on the Olympic Green, which also includes the iconic Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatics centre used during the Beijing Summer Games last year.

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