Liu also referred to the renovation of more than 600 ancient city alleyways, 400 old residential areas and 100-plus main streets in Beijing, which would improve living conditions for local people, especially low-income ones.

Beijing promised that traffic conditions would meet the demands of the Games, with the construction of roads and subways and upgrading of transport facilities.

With Terminal 3, the Beijing capital airport can handle up to 76 million passengers annually, more than double the previous capacity. The airport was expected to receive about 5.56 million people during the Games.

Three subway lines and a 28-kilometer light rail linking the downtown with the airport went into operation before the Games, extending the city's total length of track to 200 kilometers. At the same time, Beijing keeps the prices of public transport low.

Meanwhile, 34 special bus routes linking Games venues are operating during the event and they are free to those who have Olympic tickets.

Since the March 14 Lhasa riot, safety has been a major concern for the Games, but Beijing has 150,000 security guards plus 290,000 volunteers doing patrols.

Beijing also deploys security staff at hundreds of checkpoints on road entries to the city. The subway also carried out security checks.

As foreign media put nearly everything Chinese under the microscope during the 17 days, the government fulfilled its Olympic bid commitments and promised that reporters would be able to report the Games freely.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Liu said, "The Chinese people, teeming with enthusiasm, have honored the commitments they solemnly made."

"The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is a grand celebration of sport, a grand celebration of peace and a grand celebration of friendship, " he said.

A week before the opening ceremony, President Hu pledged that China would continue to help foreign reporters' work after the Games. "China has always opened its door to the outside world," he said during an interview with journalists from 25 global media organizations.

China also lifted the ban on foreign publications as the Olympics drew near, which is an international practice and part of China's commitments to the Games.

About one hundred overseas newspapers and magazines went on sale on July 21 at news kiosks located in areas catering to athletes and international media covering the Olympics. And all the newsstands will run about 15 hours a day till the end of the Paralympics.

President Hu said that the Beijing Olympics would leave important material and spiritual legacies for China and the whole world.

He identified three spiritual legacies. The first is the promotion of the Olympic spirit of unity, friendship and peace. The second is the realization of the concept of the "Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People's Olympics". The third is the advancement of exchanges and learning among cultures of all the countries.