Visitors to the National Aquatics Center, better known as the Water Cube, will be able to visit the welcome banquet venue and buy the Chinese tableware and clothes specially designed for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, starting this Saturday.

The center will also provide banquet dishes and desserts for visitors to give them a taste of being treated as global leaders. Souvenirs include traditional Chinese tableware, banquet clothes that were similar to those used by the world leaders.

Li Aiqing, chairman of Beijing State-owned Assets Management co. Ltd., said the center will keep the look till next year's Chinese New Year.

"The center will be reopened on November 22 and the price remained unchanged as 30 yuan," he added.

Netizens, however, have different opinions toward the "APEC tour." Many expressed interest to try the "APEC dishes" while some are not happy with the idea because they think that the center used the meeting for profit.

The Water Cube, the site of last week's 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, has kept its specially decorated interior design for visitors.

"Global leaders first entered the Water Cube from the north gate, and then they walked to the photo-taking area, shake hands with the leader, then they entered the banquet venue. We would like to show this routine to visitors and give them a special experience," a staff of the National Aquatics Center told the Global Times.

Following the end of the 2008 Olympic Games, the stadiums have been turned into a multi-functional center for sports, recreation and fitness. Media had earlier reported that the Water Cube and the Bird's nest have been losing money due to low stadium usage and decrease in the number of visitors.

But Fujian-based Southeast China Express quoted Jiang Xiaoyu, the vice president of Beijing Olympic City Development Association, in August as saying that the stadiums can maintain a balance between revenues and expenditures as there have been events such as concerts and other recreational activities held in the centers.

The Bird's Nest has so far held about 150 events, with over 110 of these attended by thousands of people each time.