Venues for the Asian Games include 12 that were built for the event and 58 that were renovated.
Mayor Wan Qingliang estimates the city spent 6.3 billion yuan (US$950 million) on venue construction and maintenance, though it's not clear whether funding also came from other sources.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be held in a special venue located on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River, at the heart of downtown Guangzhou. The half-stadium with gill-like side openings is flanked by the city's UFO-like opera house and the latticed Guangzhou TV Tower.
Competition venues are scattered around Guangzhou and nearby cities, but two man clusters are the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in the eastern part of the city and the Tianhe Sports Center in the central business district.
The Athletes' Village, Technical Officials' Village and Media Village are located in the purpose-built Asian Games Town, about 40 minutes southeast of downtown Gangzhou.
A look at the main venues for the Nov. 12-27 Games:
--- Guangdong Olympic Stadium=
Built in 2001, this 80,000-seat stadium is topped by a ring of "ribbon." The structure is meant to resemble the petals of a flower, a nod to Guangzhou's nickname as the "Flower City." It is mostly use for football matches and will host athletics competition during the Asian Games.
--- Guangzhou Asian Games Town Gymnasium=
Just south of the Athletes' Village, this venue built for the games features flowing lines meant to evoke "dancing ribbons." It will host gymnastics, billiards and squash. Environmentally friendly features include rainwater collection and a water recycling system. After the games, the gymnasium will become a multipurpose complex with sports, commercial and public uses.
--- Aoti Aquatics Center= (pronounced ow-tee)=
Located in the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, the natatorium will host swimming, diving and modern pentathlon. The building features a blue-and-white spiral shape and is set to become a national training base following the Asian Games.
--- Aoti Tennis Center=
Also part of the Olympic Sports Center, this venue has elements of the "ribbon" concept as well and can seat 12,000. It will be a major center for tennis in China, where interest in the sport is growing rapidly.
--- Nansha Gymnasium=
The competition venue for wushu and kabaddi, the rounded building is made up of two halves to resemble the traditional Chinese yin-yang symbol. The building can accommodate more than 8,000 spectators, but seating can be reconfigured to cater for various events in future.
--- Huangpu Sports Center Gymnasium=
This cubic structure with about 5,000 seats will host basketball matches. It is covered with a unique "skin" with a design based on traditional Chinese blue-and-white porcelain and lattice windows.
--- Guangzhou Velodrome=
Built in the shape of an aerodynamic bicycle helmet, this will be the site of track and BMX cycling as well as roller sports.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com