Why Did Beijing Choose a ‘Dystopian’ Industrial Site for the Winter Olympics?

As Olympic skiers and snowboarders bust out daredevil moves down a 60-meter ski ramp in the Beijing Winter Games this week, viewers were treated to the sight of an unusual backdrop: drab industrial structures that some have mistakenly called nuclear plants.

The curious juxtaposition—no help from the harsh winter landscape—has become such a talking point that Big Air Shougang, a stadium on the outskirts of Beijing, is now the subject of mockery on social media. Viral tweets about the site, some accompanied by a desaturated aerial photo of its surroundings, describe it as a “hellscape” and “dystopian.”

But athletes and an architect who spoke with VICE World News have had a very different view of the big air venue, now a permanent sports stadium converted from the remnants of a defunct steel mill.