July 24, 2008
Yesterday, newspapers reported that Microsoft’s recently-retired president Bill Gates will live in a traditional style Chinese courtyard (四合院) during his stay in Beijing for the Olympic Games.
According to an article in yesterday’s Southern Metropolis Daily, Bill Gates’ residence in Beijing will be a rooftop courtyard in Pangu Plaza, a new hotel and apartment complex across from the Olympic Green. The courtyard is constructed on the top of a building which looks out over the Bird’s Nest, the main stadium of the Olympic Games.
The report quoted a Pangu Plaza employee saying that Bill Gates had already paid one year’s rent in advance—100 million yuan—for the courtyard. He said all 12 courtyards in their compound have already been rented out.
But today’s Beijing Youth Daily reports that Zhang Yaqin, vice president of Microsoft, denied the news in a press conference yesterday. The vice president implied that the fabricated news might be an attempt to raise property values in the building.
Danwei could not find reliable information on whether Bill Gates even plans to visit China during the Olympics. Perhaps the Pangu Plaza should just invite Bill Gates to live in their courtyard building for free?
- Beijing Youth Daily (Chinese): Ya-qin Zhang said the news about Bill Gates’ expensive house is untrue
- Southern Metropolis Daily (Chinese): Bill Gates spent 100 million to watch the Games