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One of the great qualities of the Fountain Pen Network is the way it builds bridges across cultures. Six months ago, I admired a pen acquired by Hari317 that told the story of the Beijing National Stadium, often called the Bird's Nest. The stadium was the jaw-dropping, stunningly beautiful home of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and was designed by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, the Chinese firm CADG, architects Stefan Marbach and Li Xinggang, and artist Ai Weiwei. Hari documented the pen, created under license by the Chinese firm Beifa, in a well-crafted set of photographs. I had spent several months in Beijing between 2006 and 2008, preparing for information technology deployment at the Olympics. Hari remembered my interest in the pen when he spotted a version recently in Hyderabad. He purchased it and asked if I would still like one. I gladly accepted this moving and thoughtful gesture and reimbursed him for the pen, which arrived today at my home in North Carolina. This post is a simple story of friendship and goodwill. Thank you, Hari. Though this is not a review, my first impression is that the pen captures the lines, color, and drama of the Beijing stadium. The pen came in two versions -- gold and steel -- and this version resembles the stadium's brushed stainless steel exterior. The section and nib are beautiful, the manufacturing is careful, and attention to detail is evident throughout the pen's presentation and execution.

Seven years after the 2008 Summer Olympics held at Beijing, probably it was time for this company to liquidate their remaining stocks at throwaway prices. I discovered this pen at a local shop, selling at a very attractive price of around 13USD. The pen is quite well made with good quality components and attention to details. The pen seems to have been made by a pen company called Beifa under the Lampo brand. This is my attempt to document the existence of this pen. The motif on the Overlay is reminiscent of the Beijing National Stadium aka the Bird's nest. The cap is reminiscent of the Olympic torch. The Outer Box: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1122.jpg Inside there are two boxes, one contains the pen, the other contains the product pamphlets and two spare cartridges: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1123.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1124.jpg The page from the booklet in English: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1139.jpg The sticker on the outer box. http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1138.jpg The pen: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1125.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1127.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1128.jpg The components, the converter is of a good quality: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1129.jpg The Cap Top: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1130.jpg The Cap profile: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1131.jpg The cap lip imprint: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1132.jpg The nib: The nib is special to this edition, has a custom stamped imprint, not cheaply laser engraved. http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1133.jpg Nice feeder: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1134.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1135.jpg Even the converter has been specially made for this pen: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1136.jpg http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1137.jpg The pen is quite heavy: Capped: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1140.jpg Uncapped: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1141.jpg Size comparison with the well known Wing Sung 590: http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/hari317/Beijing%202008%20Olympics%20pen/IMG_1142.jpg Cheers! Hari