British deputy PM interested in Beijing's city planning

Visiting British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott showed great interest in Beijing's city planning and its great changes over the time when he toured a city planning exhibition hall in Beijing Wednesday.

Prescott started his eight-day China tour on Feb. 19 at the invitation of the Chinese government.

The exhibition displays the achievements of modern urban development with more than 1,200 pictures and 20 movies. It also exhibits the future layout of Beijing's urban development.

After watching a 3-D film featuring Beijing's future development, Prescott told Zhao Li, vice curator of the exhibition hall, that Beijing has done a great job in reconstructing the old city. He believes the city can achieve more in its future development.

He also visited the models of Olympic facilities including the "Bird's nest" gymnasium, swimming pool and Laoshan indoor cycling center.

"London's success in winning the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games provides new opportunities for the two cities to share experiences in building sustainable communities," the deputy prime minister said.

Before leaving the exhibition hall, he visited the future houses designed by British architect Zaha Hadid. He appreciated the design, saying it is a "wonderful" plan.

Prescott's visit in China also covers the cities of Ningbo, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Source: Xinhua