Beijing has begun winding down from the Olympics, with athletes, officials and journalists clearing out of their residential halls and heading to the airport.

The airport - which underwent a massive pre-Games renovation complete with a vast new terminal - heaved with people yesterday but appeared to be coping well under the strain without major delays to flights.

Authorities even laid on entertainment for departing passengers. In one part of the new terminal, volunteers dressed as Fuwa or "Friendlies," the five stylized animals that were the official mascots of the Games, mingled with passengers. Some posed for photographs with the colorful characters.

Traditional Chinese opera singers performed in another section of the Norman Foster-designed terminal.

More than 10,000 Olympics passengers were expected to use the airport yesterday, the first day after the closing ceremony, and more than 3,000 today.

Check-in facilities have been installed at the Olympic Village, where bags can be checked and boarding passes issued, to make it easier to leave the country.

Still, the fun and games are not entirely over. The Paralympics opens in Beijing on September 6 and run until September 17, although organizers do not expect nearly as many visitors to attend as those who came to the Olympics.