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Bill Gates Beijing real estate rumorsPosted by Eric Mu, July 24, 2008 2:38 PM
 Qingdao Evening News 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.  Pangu Plaza 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? Links and Sources
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Comments on Bill Gates Beijing real estate rumors
Bill Gates will come to see the Olympics, which is part of his retirement plan. But his foundation has denied the courtyard "news".
i heard this rumor more than a year ago, when pangu was in its sales phase. At the time I chalked it up to the say-anything-for-a-sale culture of property developers.
Along those lines, any truth to the rumors that Yao Ming and Zhang Ziyi bought flats in Yintai Tower (or whatever that tall building south of China World is?)
Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to have located "Pangu Plaza" next to the National Theater, i.e. the giant egg, rather than building it next to the bird's nest? That's just mixing metaphors.
I believe that Pangu Plaza have a vacancy for a Bill Gates lookalike. Free accommodation is included.
ONE YEAR'S RENT is 14+ million US dollars? Are you friggin kidding me? Who the hell would pay that much in rent and not just buy the place. This ridiculous figure should have been confirmation enough that this was a BS story cooked up by shady real estate agents to raise property prices. Chinese may be getting wealthier but money can't buy you class or taste.