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theMessengerVol.21 No.3

May. - Aug., 2010

WORLD EXPO 2010World's Pavilions

From London To Shanghai: What Legacies Will The Expo Leave Us?

Dynamic Expo

Most Visited Pavilions at the Shanghai Expo

The Expo of Artists

Preview the Future through an Innovation Tour

First Impression of the EXPO

China Expo or World Expo?

Trip to China Pavilion-the Oriental Crown

Expo - A Driving Force For China's Urbanization

Expo Staff Members: Expo Brings Us Joys And Friendship

"Expo Superman" Visits 80 Pavilions within One Day

From London To Shanghai: What Legacies Will The Expo Leave Us?

Editor'sMessage n May 1990, CRI's English Service started the bimonthly four-color newsletter "The Messenger" with an eye on strengthening ties with listeners. The publication was delivered to overseas listeners and to foreigners in China who work at embassies or consulates, foreign-owned and joint-venture companies, as well as students, teachers, journalists and tourists, or those who request it. It brought them information about Radio Beijing's (the former name of CRI) activities and future plans.

"The Messenger" has since evolved with a fresher appearance - to reflect the tremendous changes in CRI's output - as well as supplying content devoted to China's breathtaking transformation over the past three decades. The current issue features the Shanghai World Expo 2010, with first-hand travel stories from our reporters' unique perspectives adding a personal touch.

All of the staff working on "The Messenger" will continue to strive for excellence because we believe that is what you deserve.

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CONTENTS

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FROM OUR LISTENERS

FEATURE: WORLD'S PAVILIONS

FEATURE: DYNAMIC EXPO

FEATURE: CRI REPORTER'S DIARY

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FEATURE: EXPO 2010 CONCLUDES

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theMessengerVol.20 No.3

May. - Aug., 2010

WORLD EXPO 2010World's PavilionsDynamic Expo

From London To Shanghai: What Legacies Will The Expo Leave Us?

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Most Visited Pavilions at the Shanghai ExpoText from CRIENGLISH.com

With the theme "Better City, Better Life," the Shanghai World Expo opened on May 1st and ran through to Oct. 31. Over 70 million visitors have enjoyed this grand event.

Some of the pavilions are most attractive to visitors. They include the China Pavilion, China's joint provincial pavilions, and the national pavilions of Belgium, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Switzerland.

The three-story South Korea Pavilion is composed of 20 basic letters of the Korean alphabet. The pavilion showcases blueprints of future cities along with the country's most advanced technology and traditional culture.

Korean-style carnival multimedia exhibitions and traditional folk shows at the pavilion are staged and directed by famous Korean director Kim Seong Soo.

The pavilion contains several waterscapes and a large water stage where visitors can take a break and enjoy the shows offered by artists from South Korea. They include traditional celebration rituals, Sino-Korean cultural exchange programs, a Korean movie and TV festival, parades and fashion shows.

Fu Ying, a local resident and a fan of Korean TV dramas shown in China, says she has been looking forward to seeing the South Korea Pavilion.

"I'm attracted to the architectural style of the South Korea Pavilion even from outside. China and South Korea are neighbors, and we are familiar with each other's cultures. I myself am a big fan of South Korean TV dramas which are enjoyed by a wide audience in China."

Kim Joon Ki, Senior Manager of the South Korea Pavilion says this exhibition is the biggest his country ever presented to a World Expo.

"The theme of our pavilion is 'Friendly City, Colorful Life.' The main exhibition area on the second floor is divided into four sections featuring culture, technology, humanity and nature, where visitors will experience the current and future urban life of the country."

The Germany Pavilion, or the Balancity as it is nicknamed, is one of the top pavilions attracting the most visitors.

Because of the unexpected overflow of visitors, it had to close down much earlier during the first day of its trial operation prior

to the Expo's official opening. Every day people stand in long lines outside the pavilion waiting to enter.

One of the highlights of the pavilion is a cone-shaped structure housing a revolving metal sphere. Three meters in diameter and covered with LEDs, the Metal Sphere is activated by the noise and movement of the spectators.

Peter Kreutzberger, Deputy Chief Representative of the German Pavilion, tells why the Banlancity is so attractive to visitors and how to enter it quickly.

The France Pavilion, or the "Sensual City," showcases the sights, smells, tastes, sounds and feel of France. Visitors are able to admire French gardens and paintings, smell French perfume, and taste French cuisine, touch cool water in pools and fountains, and watch clips from classic French films to soak up the glamour of the country.

Xiang Shuyi is one of the earliest visitors among the crowd waiting to enter the pavilion.

"I came here at seven o'clock this morning. There are seven top national treasures on display in the France Pavilion. I've been to France before but had no chance to visit them all because of the complicated registration procedures. But here at the Expo, you can view them all at once in an hour even though you have to queue for at least two hours. Not everyone has had a chance to visit France."

Another hot exhibition is, of course, from the host country—the China Pavilion. Jim White from Switzerland says he decided to come to China after seeing a movie that showed the changes and latest developments in the country. Later he decided to come to Shanghai for the Expo so that he could know more about this ancient country.

Edward Kent from the United States says he is very impressed with the China Joint Provincial Pavilions which display the best local traditions of different parts of the country.

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Australia Pavilion: City in Children's EyesText / Photo by Duan Xuelian

The 4,800-square-meter ochre-colored Australia Pavilion, located in Zone B, among other Asian Pacific countries, has an imposing presence. The exterior of the architecture resembles Ayer's Rock, or Uluru, a World Heritage Site and also the "heart" of Australia, guarding the vast outback of the country.

On the first day of its opening on May 1, the pavilion extended its hours to 11:00 pm in light of the long queues waiting at the front entrance.

Entering the pavilion, visitors are led onto a path of Australian history and culture sectioned into "Journey," "Discover" and "Enjoy."

During the "Journey," a combination of photos, models, cartoon characters and screens illustrate the formation and growth of the country.

A 1,000-seat circular theatre awaits visitors to "Discover" the true meaning of a city.

Extra-large screens rise from the

central stage and spin around slowly in rhythm to the film. In the 15-minute video, the concept is told through the voices of three little children in a playground. From diverse cultural origins, including European immigrant, aboriginal Australian and Chinese descent, the children represent Australia's varied cultural composition.

Innocent and non-preachy, the conversation between the children indicates the idea that humans are seeds while the city is the earth on which we prosper. A primitive ideal expressed through the most advanced technology.

Exiting the theatre, visitors will arrive at the venue for "Enjoy," which is the main hall of the pavilion. With flamboyant flower-shaped lights hanging above, the hall is also the center stage for a series of art performances by Australian artists.

For those who want to bring back some memorabilia, there are also counters selling A 15-minute film depicts the relationship between humans and cities.

A combination of photos, models, cartoon characters and screens illustrate the formation and growth of Australia in the "Journey" section.

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key chains, stuffed toys and kangaroo-skin purses.

The whole trip will take less than one hour, which for so large a pavilion is a little short. Tan Wei, father from a visiting family of three, who has been to Australia, said there isn't enough to see. "There should be more exhibits or interactive programs that visitors can participate in," Tan said.

But the film in the "Discover" section is worth watching and it is equally educational to adults and children, Tan added.

Flamboyant flower-shaped lights hang above the ground hall of the Australia Pavilion.

Russia Pavilion:Powered by YouthText / Photo by Duan Xuelian

Countries such as Japan and the UK are using the Shanghai Expo as a chance to showcase cutting edge technology, either through the architecture of their pavilions or displayed exhibits. Russia, however, has chosen to bring along the ultimate source of innovation - its youth.

From the outside, the Russia Pavilion gives no clue as to what might be housed inside. Once you venture inside, it is more like a theme park than a national pavilion.

According to the late Russian children's author Nikolay Nosov, the best city in the world is the one most enjoyed by children. In fact, the interior design of the Russia Pavilion is based on one of his most enduring stories, "The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends".

The colorful sculptures displayed on the first floor are all based on the drawings of Russian children. The drawings were chosen after a nationwide art contest for children with the theme of "my vision for a better city", which was held in the lead up to the

A warm-colored sculpture, based on a Russian child's drawing, is displayed on the first floor of the Russia Pavilion.

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2010 Expo.Along with each sculpture, there is a

short video of the young artist explaining the idea behind their work.

Right in the centre of the exhibition hall is a lake with blooming plastic lotus flowers and lush green leaves covering its surface. The thick trunks of the trees that stand in the water are entwined with vines bearing enormous morning glory flowers.

Climbing up the stairs that spiral around the tree trunks, you will be led into another even more outlandish world. Tiny houses stand among giant flowers and tall grass. A virtual figure of a child lives in each house, speaking to visitors about the achievements of Russian scientists in various fields. For Boris Krasnov, designer of the pavilion, this is how technology combines with entertainment - and how the concept of a better life is best presented.

The architect said in an earlier interview that during the six month Expo period, Chinese families with children will be the main visitors.

"I believe this kind and somewhat amusing Children's World that we've created will create a warm, cozy and charming atmosphere for the children of Shanghai," Krasnov was quoted as saying.

And his vision seems to be coming true, as a large number of children have already visited his pavilion. Liu Hanjun, a six-year-old who came to the Expo with her parents, said the Russia Pavilion is her favorite so far.

"Because there are trees, flowers and friends," the little girl said timidly.

Brazil Pavilion Offers More than Just Football

Giant morning glory flowers are entwined around the trees that grow in the central lake on the pavilion's first floor.

Small houses stand among giant flowers and tall grass to create a fairytale world.

Text / Photo by Zhang Zhang

Besides the enjoyments of football and traditional celebrations, Brazil is a country that has seen significant economic and social developments in recent years, said the director of the Brazil Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo on May 7, 2010.

"Most people know Brazil for its carnival and samba, but we have so much more to show," said Pedro Wendler. "We have our culture, we have our strong economy, and

we have a huge country that is making every effort to grow."

The Shanghai Expo is Wendler's second Expo, following the one in Hanover, Germany, 10 years ago. He said the Shanghai Expo, the biggest ever in history, has been in the spotlight in Brazil for many months.

Under the theme of "Pulsing Cities: Feel the Life of Brazilian Cities," the Brazil Pavilion tries to present the human and

cultural diversity in Brazilian cities, the dynamism of the country's large metropolitan areas and its booming economy.

Wendler said he is confident that visitors will have fun seeing the Brazil Pavilion, because they can gain deep insight into the lifestyles of Brazilians who are always optimistic and passionate about life.

Wendler emphasized the importance of the Shanghai Expo with regard to the

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development of Sino-Brazil business relations.

"The pavilion was to be built into a business platform," he said. "Here we will receive entrepreneurs from China for business seminars and hold special meetings on the development of bilateral business relationships."

Wendler also said the Brazil Pavilion would host events with scientists from both China and Brazil to discuss the most innovative policies related to the Expo's main theme "Better City, Better Life."

Wendler, who has significant experience in the tourism industry, made great efforts to help Brazil become a tourist destination for Chinese travelers before the Expo. He said most Chinese who currently travel to Brazil are either businesspeople or government officials, although he believes more ordinary Chinese citizens will visit his country in the future to see its spectacular scenery.

"Many Chinese tourists like to go to the Amazon Forest for the beauty of the trees, the jungle and animals there," Wendler said. "And they also visit Iguazu Falls, the largest and most impressive waterfalls on the planet. It's a fantastic tour."

Wendler said the Expo will leave a colossal legacy for the host country, while

Pedro Wendler (R), Director of the Brazil Pavilion, speaks to a CRI reporter at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai on May 7, 2010.

every participant also will benefit from the innovations on display as well as new investment and business opportunities.

With the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa in June, Wendler said Brazil

has prepared some special football-related activities at its Expo pavilion and will host parties to celebrate its achievement as the only country to have won the World Cup title five times and to have played in every tournament.

USA Pavilion SpreadsSeeds of Sino-USFriendship: Franklin LavinText / Photo by Yang Yang

The Shanghai 2010 World Expo provides an opportunity for every country in the world to showcase its most spectacular elements. What has the United States brought to the Expo this time around?

Having just welcomed its 500,000th visitor, the USA Pavilion is shaping up to be one of the most popular at the Shanghai Expo. Franklin Lavin, chairman of the pavilion's steering committee, said the USA Pavilion aims to foster a deeper cultural understanding between the people of America and China.

Lavin said the most exciting part of the

USA Pavilion is the chance to show American culture and how America works. People in China really want to understand America and people in America want to understand China, he said.

Covering 6,000 square meters, the USA Pavilion is one of the largest national pavilions at the 2010 Expo. The tour inside the pavilion has four parts, with the first three consisting of three short movies that showcase the American spirit and the country's mainstream value system, and the last part illustrating how people's lives will

be changed by the hi-tech innovations of the future.

One of the highlights of the pavilion is a film entitled "The Garden," a visual parable without dialogue, telling the story of a 10-year-old girl who dreams of turning a vacant city lot into an urban oasis, working with her neighbors to make her vision a reality.

Lavin explained that the message this show seeks to convey is that people can work together to improve their community. All that is required is hope, a positive spirit and a willingness to reach out for help and find a

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He said the girl has to overcome many obstacles. The main obstacle is other people in the community who are indifferent or even negative about her efforts. It takes a very strong will to overcome the challenges in life. "You could say it is a kind of disaster. There are always these problems in life, but if you can work together and you have positive spirit, you can overcome these challenges," Lavin said.

The garden in this parable represents the world as a whole. If we view the garden as the planet Earth, it is clear that we must look for ways to reach out and try solving problems together, since not every day is sunny and calm. One must develop a spirit that can remain positive, even when the rain

appears. Lavin thinks this movie perfectly

illustrates the American can-do, problem-solving spirit, which seeks to work together with neighbors for a successful outcome.

Apart from these 4-D movies, the United States has also sent two batches of student ambassadors who can speak both Chinese and English to man the pavilion. These young people are all American

university students who very much want to understand China and share what they know about America with their Chinese friends. Lavin thinks they are terrific ambassadors who will help strengthen ties between China and the U.S.

Lavin told me these 168 bilingual American college students are one of the most exciting aspects of the USA Pavilion. The officials of the USA Pavilion steering committee selected students who are very excited about China. Almost all of them had visited, studied and worked in China, so they have a very strong orientation towards China.

Lavin thinks the more our societies understand each other, the better their potential for solving problems will be. If two

people understand each other, any disagreement can be resolved as a result of their friendship. But if not, the same disagreement might make two people enemies - so American and Chinese people should always try to

develop their mutual understanding. He thinks it is incredibly important

for Americans to visit China and understand China's point of view. He also believes it is important to help people in China have the chance to visit America and understand the American point of view.

As a matter of fact, his own daughter is working in Shanghai right now in a music company promoting Sino-US cultural exchange activities. Lavin strongly recommends that young people from both nations have more opportunities to communicate with each other for the sake of better understanding and friendship.

Lavin hopes the Chinese people who tour the USA Pavilion get some sense of America, some feeling about the country, from their visit. He also hopes that the seed of friendship, planted by the pavilion can bear positive fruit in the future.

Franklin Lavin (R), the chairman of the Steering Committee of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo USA Pavilion, poses for a photo with CRI correspondent Yang Yang at the pavilion in Shanghai on May 14, 2010.

Visitors pass the USA Pavilion in Shanghai on May 13, 2010.

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South Korea Pavilion Displays Traditional Culture and TechnologyText / Photo by Mary King

The South Korea Pavilion aims to promote the country's brand image with high-tech and breathtaking cultural displays, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. This pavilion is a much-talked about one, especially among photographers, many of whom say it is the best designed pavilion at Shanghai Expo.

The South Korea Pavilion was one of the most anticipated pavilions at Expo 2010 because of its unique design, which plays with the idea of semiotic architecture

by fusing the imagery of Hangul, Korea's writing script, with pixel art. At night the pavilion is illuminated by 42,000 LED lights that emphasize the beauty of the country's unique writing system. South Korea is also sending out a message of convergent thinking and communication, an apt theme for the world's most "switched on" and Internet-savvy nations.

There's much to amaze inside the South Korea Pavilion too. No prizes for guessing that South Korea is showing off a lot of technology. This is after all the world's 12th biggest economy, one of the mighty Asian tiger economies, and a country that has been giving Japan a run for its money in the sphere of cars, phones and other technologies.

But there is plenty of traditional Korean culture to savour here too -- whether it is food, music or dance.

Those standing in the long lines to get into the pavilion may be lucky enough to get to see, or at least here, the traditional drumming that is performed most days. A replica of Seoul's landscape is also exhibited in an open space on the ground floor.

The actual exhibition starts with video clips of happy Chinese and South Korean children welcoming you on an exciting

journey of Korean culture. These clips go on to show you aspects of Korean life and culture, including images of Taekwondo, the country's famous temples, Seoul landmarks, as well as boy bands that are a hit with teenagers throughout Asia.

In the Nature Zone you learn about the environmentally-friendly lifestyles of Koreans through a virtual forest filled with life.

Natural scents and the sound of a breeze

recreate the feeling of strolling through a beautiful green forest.

Other attractions include the Technology zone, where there is a large multi-touch wall that presents a vision of a future blessed with advanced ubiquitous technology. It also features some of the country's latest 3-D visuals that have received worldwide acclaim.

Visitors pass the South Korea Pavilion in Shanghai on May 13, 2010.

South Korean artists give a traditional drum performance.

South Korean dancers give a performance.

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The film 'Chorus City' fuses real people with 3-D animation, creating a fast-paced and moving multimedia show about a virtual city. The city represents the longstanding friendship between South Korea and China, with South Korean Wave pop star Super Junior taking part as a 'wish-maker' dedicated to making citizens' dreams come true. Through the story of an unfortunate girl, the film introduces the vision of a society and a city that embraces minorities.

Those who are curious about 2012 Special Expo, a three-month-long expo, should not miss out on seeing the Yeosu Expo display on the second floor. Set to open on May 12, 2012, Yeosu Expo has chosen the ocean as its theme. Situated in the center of the southern coast of the Korean peninsula, Yeosu is where land civilization meets marine culture. Blessed with rich marine resources, the city is not only characterized by wetlands, national marine parks and the archipelago, but

also houses maritime facilities and industrial complexes.

Last but not least 'Your Friend, Korea' features Geumnan Jigyo, or the Tree of Close Friendship, a collaborative work created by South Korean and Chinese artists. The tree which is made up of replicas of ancient Chinese and Korean coins represents everlasting friendship between the two nations, while the 3-D multi-vision delivers a message of harmony.

See the Future at Japan Pavilion Text by CRI Reporter Nillah Nyakoa

Starting with a powered generating floor, to the robot playing the violin and a camera that can sense smiling faces, the Japan Pavilion is attracting thousands of people every day.

Divided into 3 parts, an exhibition area, an interactive area and a theme performance area, the Japan pavilion is one of the places expo visitors want to be.

So just what is it that is attracting so many people to this pavilion?

"We would like to introduce Japanese

Many of us like to think and imagine how the future might be, but at the Japan Pavilion here at the Shanghai World Expo, visitors can not only imagine the future but also see it. Japan is known for consumer electronics, automobiles, and multi-tasking robots. It has brought to the world various innovations which show what tomorrow's life might look like today.

very advanced technology for the future including the advanced camera to focus the smile of the people"

Hiroshi Tsukamoto is the Commissioner General at the Japan section of the world Expo.

He explains some of the great jaw-dropping innovations in the Japan Pavilion starting with the roof of the structure itself.

"The environmental element is very important. And so in the shape of our pavilion we are utilizing a cold tube. And we have

three holes and 3 horns, which take the air from the earth and take the water from the sky. On the roof it's a special solar power panel and its very light and after this it's very easy to break and recycle it"

This pavilion too has a huge TV screen, which is said to be the largest of its kind in the world.

A recent technology from the Japanese, a "Life Wall", developed by Panasonic Corporation, is very interactive and visitors here are enchanted by the future home

Visitors pass the Japan Pavilion in Shanghai on May 13, 2010.

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entertainment system. This is also a future concept model of the "Wonder Camera with a huge set of panels along the walls presenting ultra-realistic images."

"We can touch the TV and we can expand the TV size if we would like to see something and we have an interactive relationship with the TV and so we call it a life TV.”

When people think of Japan, they often think of robot technology.

And with Japan having an aging population, the Toyota Motor Corporation is developing a Partner Robot to support people's activities.

Tsukamoto explains the latest Robot technology being showcased here.

"The attractiveness in our Japan Pavilion is a Robot that plays the violin and the Chinese song Jasmine."

Nillah: "How soon do you think people will be able to use Robots?"

Tsukamoto: "Japan is the most advanced country to use a robot. More than 40% of total utilization of Robots is happening in Japan. In the future we think that old people can be taken care of by the robots but at this moment robots are of very high cost and so it will take time."

For sure it might take time, before this sort of technology is widely adopted throughout society.

At the same time, Japan is also developing a real personal mobility vehicle driven by electricity which looks like a moving chair amongst other innovations.

Meanwhile, those who have seen these innovations first hand are looking forward to the technology displayed here becoming reality.

"They had a lot of future technology in particular the robot, really nice, and also the canon camera, the quality of the zoom. I don't know how long the time frame to get it out to the public is but it’s only a matter of time. I like the robot so much and the images on the stage yeah it’s all awesome I can’t even find the words to describe that."

And indeed the future is where Japan has long looked to.

And that's why the Japan Pavilion here is a big hit with the crowds willing to queue three hours just to catch a glimpse of what the future might look like and what kinds of technology it will bring.

They say, "if you can't see the future you haven't been dreaming hard enough", and the Japan Pavilion is here to show you that the future is much closer than you may think.

Taiwan Pavilion:The Chinese Wisdom behind the Lantern

Text / Photo by Duan Xuelian

The Taiwan Pavilion, a modern structure in the shape of a traditional Chinese lantern, is among the most photographed pavilions at the World Expo in Shanghai.

The central piece and heart of the building is a globe made of millions of LED lights, which rotates in a giant glass cube. A stage is set under the globe for visitors to fly digital sky lanterns which will be shown on the globe as they slowly float up until they vanish.

Flying lanterns to wish for good luck are an old Chinese ritual well-preserved in Taiwan, said Walter Yeh, Curator of the Taiwan Pavilion, in an exclusive interview with CRI.

"Many such cultural heritages are protected in Taiwan like the Chinese tea ceremony which originated from the mainland, and also the temples," Yeh said. "Some of them are hundreds years old and in good shape, including the Buddha statues in

Taiwan Pavilion: The Chinese Wisdom behind the Lantern

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Standing right beside the immense China Pavilion and taking the shape of a jade rabbit lantern, the Macau Pavilion is one of the most eye-catching pavilions within Zone C of the Expo site.

The rabbit pavilion is 19.99 meters in height, representing Macau's return to China in 1999. One theme of the pavilion is how the return has made Macau a better place in many ways.

The indoor tour of the Macau Pavilion starts with the beginning of a film, in which a girl is given a jade rabbit lantern as a gift. When the lantern is lost, the three protagonists lead visitors on a journey to find the rabbit, and, at the same time, discover the past and present of Macau.

Zheng Guanying, a pioneering thinker and reformer in 19th century China, is one of the representatives from Macau's past. Zheng spent most of his life in Shanghai, but his prominent work, "Shengshi Weiyan," or "Words of Warning in Times of Prosperity," was completed in Macau. And it was in this book that he proposed the idea of Shanghai hosting an Expo.

Following Macau's path of development to modern times, visitors find today's Macau

an even more overwhelming place. Not only does it have a diversified

culture, it is also a flourishing city. A later part of the film shows the blueprint of a bridge. The bridge will connect Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong once finished, and will be the longest bridge in the world that spans the sea.

When the girl finally finds her rabbit, the digital journey to Macau also comes to an end, leaving visitors still immersed in the charm of Macau.

"Macau now in my eyes is an agreeable place full of life. It is a city with many layers, a combination of traditional beauty and modernity," a visitor from Beijing commented after visiting the Macau Pavilion.

However, in addition to the exhibits, the designers of the pavilion have also put much thought into how to present a venue that is in tune with the Expo's theme of "Better City, Better Life."

"The glass that covers the exterior of our pavilion is recyclable. It can be reused

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them."The traditional practice of lantern

flying is realized through modern technology at the Taiwan Pavilion. On a computer screen, visitors create a virtual lantern and choose what to write on them before releasing them with a click on the screen.

Wang Haijun, a visitor to the pavilion, said she wrote "Love and Peace" as a wish on her lantern.

"I hope love fills our life and work as a motivation, and we can be at peace with each other," Wang said. Harmony is what our

society needs." Wang said she is planning a trip to

Taiwan to see the sensational landscape of the island portrayed in the film shown in the pavilion's spherical cinema.

With a midair bridge to hold visitors, the cinema has a 720 degree spherical screen, showing tourist sites and cultural festivities in Taiwan.

Alexander Piroth, a German who has lived in Taiwan for three years, said the spherical cinema is his favorite part of the pavilion, and that the displays there are an

honest presentation of the real Taiwan."I think it is quite good," Piroth said.

"It gives a look at, a glance at the culture and the places we can go like Yu Shan, Kaohsiung and Taipei. Quite good."

But tourism promotion is only one of the Taiwan Pavilion's missions.

"The role of the Taiwan Pavilion at the Expo is to help those who haven't been to Taiwan to know the place in many aspects from sightseeing to the lifestyles of the Taiwan people," Yeh said.

Macau Pavilion:A Journey to Find the Jade Rabbit

Text / Photo by Duan Xuelian

Macau Pavilion takes the shape of a jade rabbit lantern.

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after the Expo. And the material we used to skin the pavilion can automatically reduce the heat from the sunshine, which saves energy from air conditioner use. Also, because the exhibition room is an enclosed place often packed with visitors, we put in more

ventilation to reduce air conditioning," Su Jiandong, a presenter at the Macau Pavilion, explained.

And many visitors agree on the pavilion's energy-saving efforts.

"If those methods were put into daily

use, then I think it would conserve a lot more unsustainable energy resources. And the environmental situation would be improved," said Feng Huajun, a student who came all the way from Nanchang City for the Expo.

Hong Kong Pavilion, Modernity UnlimitedText / Photo by Duan Xuelian

While the pavilions of Macau and Taiwan seek their common roots with Chinese culture, Hong Kong dedicates its pavilion to modernity, which has made the metropolis a favorable place for mainlanders and internationals.

With the theme "Potential Unlimited," the Hong Kong Pavilion filled its three exhibition floors with displays on connectivity, creativity and sustainable urbanization.

In the corridor leading to its exhibition chambers, visitors can photograph themselves on digital screens embedded in the wall and send the pictures through e-mail. The "happy snap" serves as the beginning of an innovative and interactive tour inside the Hong Kong Pavilion.

Entering the ground floor, visitors are presented with a pair of 3-D glasses and invited to watch a two-minute film covering Hong Kong's many achievements, including its prosperous entertainment industry.

At the exit of the small theatre, a futuristic tunnel leads into the transparent middle exhibition hall, which gives a nice view overlooking the Expo Axis.

Here, information of Hong Kong is combined with interactive programs - visitors can design a currency note, or take a digital tour of Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District.

Once thoroughly awed by HK's technology, visitors are next invited onto a roof garden to enjoy a bit of nature.

The centerpiece of the compact open-air garden is a small pond covered with leafy lilies and surrounded by lush green plants. This final exhibition area showcases Hong Kong's biological diversity and the city's

efforts to sustainable balance its densely-populated urban cityscape.

To foreign visitors like Martin Zuend, who comes from Switzerland, Hong Kong's emphasis on nature is shared in his home country. And although he has never been to Hong Kong, he is very much amazed at the metropolis' high level of modernity.

And to visitors from the mainland, the Hong Kong Pavilion serves as inspiration for how a city can strive to meet the needs of every citizen.

"I think for big cities like Shanghai

and Beijing, urbanization can be expanded to the edges of the city so that people living in the suburbs can also benefit from its modernization," said a mainland visitor who had just finished her tour inside the Hong Kong Pavilion.

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Urban Practice Area Expects More AttentionText / Photo by Duan Xuelian

Compared with the overflowing pavilions on the Pudong side of the Expo Garden, there's almost no queue waiting in front of the Urban Best Practice Area (UBPA) exhibits in the Puxi area. There are a total of 76 city displays within UBPA, which are sectioned into three parts - northern, central and southern.

"We do understand that most visitors have made national pavilions their priority given the limited amount of time they have here. However, we have made great efforts to showcase positive examples of building

a livable city," said Tang Zilai, UBPA's chief planner and main speaker at the press conference on May 4.

Clustered together to form a miniature city, the buildings in the northern part house exhibits on cities including London, Hamburg, Vancouver, Odense, Madrid, Mina (Makkah) and Shanghai.

"The UBPA pavilions are situated close to each other, that's one advantage; the other is that visitors have plenty of choice in terms of deciding where to eat - there are many restaurants offering Chinese and western

cuisine," said Sun Liansheng, director general of the UBPA Department of the Shanghai World Expo Bureau, who was also present at the press conference.

And perhaps the most prominent difference between the two areas, the director noted, is that the UBPA exhibitions are more in-depth and practical.

One example of this fact in UBPA is "The Tents City of Mina (Makkah)" exhibition. The Saudi Arabian city accommodates millions of pilgrims during Hajj season. While providing adequate housing to such huge numbers of

A deserted factory building is converted into the joint pavilion in the Urban Best Practice Area. Its chimney is designed like a thermometer indicating the temperature.

The electronic screen on the wall of the Hong Kong exhibition hall can take pictures like a digital camera and send them to visitors via e-mail.

The photo shows numerous tents orderly set up in Mina (Makkah)

A Spanish dance performance in the "air tree" of the Madrid urban practice pavilion.

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people seems impossible, Mina found its solution in tents. In the city pavilion, real-life photos and models illustrate Mina's effective methods of managing communication, food and water supply, garbage disposal and disease prevention when numerous white tents are set up to serve as temporary homes for the pilgrims.

Hong Kong is one of several Chinese cities to showcase its achievement in creating an easier way of living with the so-called smart card. Wang Xiaodan, a guide at the HK exhibition hall inside one joint pavilion, says smart cards benefit citizens in every way.

"For example, the card can be used to pay for taxis, subway trips, in restaurants, hotels and shopping malls. You can buy a card for 50 HK Dollars at almost any store," said the student volunteer from the City University of Hong Kong.

Two constructions make up the Madrid showcase of a social housing system, namely the "bamboo house" and the "air tree". The "bamboo house" is laid out like an ordinary family home, with a guest room, a bedroom and a bathroom; the furniture is all made of wood, and the space is used economically. The "air tree" is a steel construction powered by solar energy and serves as a venue for performances staged regularly by Spanish artists.

A local Shanghai woman waiting at the foot of the "air tree" for the samba dance to begin said there are a lot of practices that Shanghai could use in the city's future planning. "Like recycling rubbish and turning it into energy." Her comment on UBPA exhibits is that they are easy to understand and helpful for improving people's daily life.

"I consider the urban practice area to

be the best idea of the whole Expo. It is a new idea, it is a brilliant idea. It gives cities, for the first time in history, the possibility of appearing at an Expo. The chosen cities have certainly presented themselves with a lot of charm" states Ignacio Nino, coordinator of the Madrid urban practice pavilion and guest speaker at the conference.

In an effort to attract more visitors, Mr. Nino suggests adding shuttle buses from the Pudong area to UBPA in Puxi, as well as holding more promotional events.

There are currently three ways to reach the urban practice area: entering via Expo Gate three, taking a shuttle bus from Pudong area, and coming by ferry. However, these options are only utilized by a limited number of visitors due to their inconvenient locations.

Madrid Housing, the Best-practices Model That Can Be Copied and ExportedText by Zhang Cheng

In the Urban Best Practices Area, Madrid built a pavilion made of two existing buildings-the Bamboo House, a replica of a state-subsidized housing, and the Air Tree, a replica of the bioclimatic trees that make up the Eco-Boulevard.

In fact, the Bamboo House is a five-story residence in southern Madrid. It is covered with bamboo, giving it an original landscape image that provides heat insulation and soundproofing, thereby saving electricity.

Cristina Mateo, Communications Director of the Madrid Pavilion says there are three million people living in Madrid, and 17 percent of them are migrants. Many of them cannot afford high-priced commercial houses.

"In the Madrid (bamboo) House, there

The Urban Best Practice Area is one of the most innovative initiatives at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. It showcases 50 urban designs from across the globe. They fall into four categories of home and garden, sustainable urbanization, heritage preservation and scientific innovation.

are 88 flats. The whole building is a social-subsidized apartment building in Madrid for people who have limited access to housing. Normally, people have economic difficulties, but it does not necessarily mean they are very poor. They are just very young and have a hard beginning. So the policy of Madrid is to use young, upcoming architects to participate in the project."

For more than a decade, the Madrid government has had a social housing project which has been one of the largest in Europe, with wide use of renewable energy, new environmentally friendly materials, and advanced ecological technologies.

Mateo then took me to the roof of the building to check out more environmentally friendly devices.

"So here we have a vertical garden,

which is widely used in Spain. It helps buildings to be isolated from heat and extra cold and reduces gas emissions. (You can see) the solar panel is there, and here we have a device which is installed inside. It allows light into the house, but keeps the heat and cold away."

Even without air conditioning, you will feel quite cool inside the Bamboo House.

In front of the building is a structure more than seven meters high that is shaped like a tree. It has a hollow inside and a metal covering. On top of it are four fans. This is another feature of the air tree, known as the Ecological Air Conditioner.

The system used in the Air Tree is based on networks of water sprays that work in conjunction with the installation of various species of climbing plants such as ivy. In

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addition, this process helps to remove CO2 and purify the air.

The Air Tree has been built with recyclable materials. Each "tree" is topped with several units of solar panels that generate more than 12,000 kilowatts of power each year.

Mateo explains where the inspiration came from.

"This is the actual Air Tree. We got it because in Madrid, it is located in a newly-developed area that still doesn't have many tall trees. So that's why we came up with this structure. In fact, in Madrid, there're three. Not the same size as this one. But we want to convey a sense of outdoor living and healthy living. Also the temperature inside is about

7-8 degrees Celsius lower than outside. So it's really a good structure for cooling off."

Under the Air Tree, there is a public space for people to stroll, mingle, and have a rest. Mateo says the Madrid Pavilion has prepared many games and performances for visitors at the Shanghai Expo 2010.

Here is a visitor from Mexico. He just played a game under the tree which is like a live version of table football.

"It's very interesting, and I like the way they did (referring to football), some sort of game we have. It's physical; very interesting."

Mateo says Madrid isn't complete without life in its streets, life in its public spaces. The Bamboo House and the Air Tree

together are like a house and the square beside it or a garden through which people stroll.

"They are nice for the environment, both for people living inside and people outside. So it is well concerned with both aspects. I also think in the future, it's not only good to build a house, but also the combination of what kind of environment people outside need to be comfortable. So for that, you need squares; you need trees. Definitely!"

Mateo says the combination of the Bamboo House and the Air Tree transmits the balance between life inside the home and life outside. She also believes this is an effective solution to the problems brought about by rapid urban overdevelopment.

Life and Sunshine Pavilion, First Pavilion for the Disabled Text by Shi Yingying

The Shanghai World Expo has set up a pavilion especially designed for disabled people, the first time during the 159-year history of Expo. The pavilion, called "Life and Sunshine Pavilion" aims to foster more understanding and attention for disabled people, so as to ensure they receive a better life in the future.

At the entrance of the Life and Sunshine Pavilion, visitors are guided by disabled volunteers to tour inside. The music you're hearing is played by China's famous visually challenged musician Sun Yan.

Since the trial operation and until the end of the expo, Sun Yan will be a volunteer pianist playing at the pavilion over 190 days.

Sun Yan says he's not only a volunteer, but also a beneficiary in this pavilion, for he has tried many facilities which are very helpful to him.

"For example, here is magnifying equipment designed for sight impaired people like me. It can project and magnify every word in a book to any size on a screen. With its help, I can read as easily as normal people do."

A disabled volunteer sitting in her wheelchair is guiding visitors to a white robot which can be directed to perform tasks

according to the brain patterns of disabled people.

Besides this equipment, Japanese guide dogs, mobility dogs and hearing dogs are also highlights of the pavilion, with their help; blind people can go out freely and live by themselves.

Life and Sunshine Pavilion also provides an interaction zone for healthy visitors to experience how difficult it is for disabled people to live a normal life.

Now I'm in a completely dark zone. I feel a little frightened because I can't see anything. I'm trying to perceive the environment by touching the wall and hearing the guide. I can imagine how difficult a blind person's life could be. Many visitors actually have the same feelings as I do.

"It's a little horrible. I suddenly lost the bright light. It's not easy for blind people to live a normal life. We should pay more

attention to helping them."Cao Ziping, director of the pavilion,

says it will hold a series of activities including performances, talent shows, painting and calligraphy exhibitions by disadvantaged people in its half-year operation.

"We're aiming to bring hope of a more beautiful life to disabled people. We hope to help them face difficulties with spirit and courage. We hope everyone can be inspired by the dynamic spirit of disabled people and increase their understanding of them."

Cao Ziping adds that the pavilion has so far received 100,000 visitors. That number is already twice what they anticipated. In the coming half a year, 1 million visitors are expected to tour the Life and Sunshine Pavilion. If you come to the Shanghai expo, why not visit too?

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UK Pavilion Shows How Tiny Seeds can Produce Wonders of Nature and Life Text by Zhang Cheng

The UK Pavilion is definitely one of the most eye-catching pavilions at the Shanghai Expo. Compared with other colorful, and sometimes noisy pavilions at the park, the UK pavilion is quiet, tranquil and most importantly, uses the least amount of energy among all the pavilions and has sent an environmentally-friendly message to the world.

In the UK pavilion, people won't find a 4D movie as fantastic as the one in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, or intelligent Roberts which can play violins like in the Japanese Pavilion. However, you may be shocked to discover architect Tomas Heatherwick's brilliant idea of using seeds to interpret the Expo's theme "better city, better life."

Walking close to the dandelion-like building, people can find various seeds with different shapes in over 60,000 transparent rods, containing over 260,000 seeds which were collected in a bio-diversity project.

Tomas says he hopes to raise awareness for the Millennium Seed Bank Project, an international conservation project launched by the British Royal Botanic Gardens, which tried to conserve the seeds of endangered plants.

"The message of the UK pavilion is the relationship between people and nature, as cities grow and grow and the population grows, the question is how nature will integrate. Many people are very good at building, but the places we want to live in include nature somehow."

During the daytime, each of these 7.5-meter-long rods will act like fiber optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources embedded in each rod will allow the whole structure to glow.

"Every one of the seeds has a very tiny LED light, white LED light in it. You can't see them, you just see illumination and LED

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is very low energy light source, so those clever scientists invent them just in time for us to make our seed cathedral."

Actually, when you walk into the "seed cathedral", there is no electric lighting, big televisions; you are entering into the core of the animate structure-"seed Cathedral". You will find no electric lamp, television, air conditioner or computer in it. So you may find it a little bit dark in the dandelion-like building. But Thomas says it is one of the most environmentally friendly pavilions because it uses the least amount of energy.

"There are many environment dimensions to the project. Not least having one of the greatest conservation projects at the heart of it, but also we took a decision that to not build one of the sustainability issues like energy uses. We decide, with the UK pavilion, we wouldn't go for maximum energy use, so we didn't build a big building, as big as a football pitch, which we have to cool. Actually, we have a tiny space kept cool, we don't have TV, noisy sound system, and we kept our energy uses. It's not just we want to use the least energy, but also we want the UK pavilion to become quiet and tranquil."

Of course, the implications of the UK Pavilion are not limited to the amazing "seed cathedral," it also provides a presentation of

green British cities with a high vegetation coverage.

Visitors can travel through four of the UK's capital cities from west to east - Belfast, Cardiff, London and Edinburgh. Large "green maps" of the cities are on display.

Tomas said the best way to show how green British cities really are is to "erase" all the buildings and streets, leaving only the green spaces.

Walking along these "green maps" on the wall, visitors will find a showcase for a rich variety of plants, a mix of living plants and imaginary future plants you've never seen before.

Feng Lingshan, one of staffers in the UK Pavilion is introducing one of future plants.

"Does this plant look like a fan, in fact, it is a signal transmitter and receiver, which can help form a wireless network. Scientists are now working on how future plants could offer solutions to problems in our lives. The UK Pavilion came up with the concept of protecting diversity of plants and sustainability. So we should protect plants, they are important to our future."

Moreover, she says the plants of the future can be used in areas as diverse as medicine and construction, tackling climate

change and solving other global concerns.Out from the dandelion-like building,

you will see an open area as large as a standard football pitch.

This public area is for performances and for children to play football, just like a city park.

The square will hold performances every day including ballet, drama, orchestra recitals and dance. Some UK football stars may even be on hand to teach soccer skills to children.

Thomas says the thing which would please him most is to see people having a delightful and uninhibited time at the square, which presents a harmonious relationship between people and nature.

"I think the highlight of the UK pavilion is that everybody sitting at the end of the day, everybody has seen lots of pavilions and sit on all over our urban park and relax. Yesterday, everyone is rolling down the slopes. It's so nice to see everyone relaxing."

He says that being within such an incredible, colorful expo is amazing, but he hopes the UK Pavilion might be slightly reflective and a place for people to totally relax and get lost in their own thoughts.

The Expo of Artists Text / Photo byZhang Zhang

For hundreds of artists from all over the world, the Shanghai World Expo offers not only a large stage for performance, but also a window through which they can look in at China as it grows and develops.

Sello, from South Africa, performed a finger-popping dance with a number of his countrymen in the African Square on the morning of May 4, 2010.

Since their country will become the first in Africa to host the FIFA World Cup this June, the dancers designed a special section of the performance in which they simulated playing football - although without the use of a ball.

"Since the 2010 World Cup is to be held in South Africa, we came up with the concept of this dance for the event, which is to kick off on June 11 with an opening game between South Africa and Mexico."

However, Sello said the dance is not

South African performers incorporate football moves into their finger-popping dance.

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only for South Africans, but also for people from around the world.

More than 20,000 performances will be staged at the Expo, which runs for six months until October 31.

In the eyes of a Congolese performer named Moxi, the Expo establishes a platform for people from different countries to communicate via music.

"Music is a universal language. When

you play music, it's not necessary for the audience to understand what you are singing - they can enjoy the rhythm."

When not on stage, the performers also have an opportunity to explore the various pavilions as well as the city of Shanghai, China's largest economic hub.

Luis Urive led a traditional troupe from Jalisco, Mexico to the Expo site. It's his first experience of an expo, as well as his first visit

to the city. He appeared excited during the interview.

"I like this huge city. We weren't told it would be so huge. I hope the Chinese people like our performance."

Luis and his troupe have visited several pavilions over the past days. "We have a few hours off each day, so we have been visiting some pavilions. I like Spain's pavilion best, along with China's. It's so big."

Two artists performs a traditional dance. A Mexican performer dances with a rope.

Experience Cutting Edges at the Expo Text / Photo by

Zhang Zhang

With its theme of "Better City, Better Life", the Shanghai World Expo is expected to show people a positive image of what cities might be like in the future, with better environments, more convenient facilities and novel construction designs.

Besides the imaginary technology on show in various pavilions, some cutting edge designs in the field of low carbon emission and high efficiency have been transformed into real products for display at the Expo Park.

Green-energy shuttle

buses, powered either by batteries or capacitors, represent the main form of transport in the Park area.

The "super capacitor bus" will serve on the Park's artery avenue, as well as on a route across the Huangpu River. With a receiver bar horizontally installed on its roof, it can be recharged at every stop when the bar touches the parallel charger arms hanging from the stop ceiling. The recharge process will take between 30 seconds to one minute, and can sustain a trip of about five

Battery-powered vehicles represent the main form of transport in the park area as well as a development trend of low emissions.

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kilometers.Another battery-powered bus, with a

16-kilowatt storage battery, can run as far as 64 kilometers before it switches to an ethanol-fueled power generator. It can then go on for a further 100 kilometers.

In addition to traffic innovations, some Park facilities are also benefiting from fresh designs.

At more than 150 drinking fountains throughout the Park, a special water tank with five taps installed at different heights

can meet the demands of both grown-ups and minors.

However the most amazing design, in my opinion, can be seen in the dustbin and waste collection network. The dustbins look pretty normal, except that they have an open bottom. Waste falls directly into an underground passage, which runs beneath all dustbins in the park, and heads to the collection plant.

A special ventilation system has been designed inside to offer regular air flows that

blow waste to the plant.Another attraction is the result of

Dutch architectural wisdom, with a building that seeks to put as many rooms as possible in the smallest area.

At the Netherlands Pavilion, visitors were surprised by a complex consisting of dozens of brightly-colored huts piled on top of each other within a limited area - a perfect solution to the serious housing problems facing densely populated cities.

Expo Provides A Stage for Traditional Chinese Folk Arts

A special water tank with five taps at different heights can meet the demands of both grown-ups and minors.

Information booths at the Expo site

Text / Photo by Zhang Zhang

The 2010 World Expo in Shanghai is not only a show of curiosities and cultures from around the world, but also a stage to promote traditional Chinese folk arts that have experienced a renaissance in the last few years.

Wu Junli, Director of a shadow play troupe from Xiaoyi in north China's Shanxi Province, said the troupe expects to give visitors a chance to have a closer look at traditional performances.

"We hope to introduce the shadow puppetry art to a larger population of the audience through the Expo, and in the

meantime we also look forward to meeting some cartoonists on this occasion and invite them to visit our city," Wu said.

The troupe plans to enlarge the scope of shadow puppetry-related products with the help of cartoonists and promote the products worldwide, Wu said.

The troupe will perform at the Shanxi section on the ground floor of the China Pavilion, which houses exhibitions from 32 of China's municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions.

The shadow play, originating during the Han Dynasty, is a form of storytelling

using opaque figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images.

At present, shadow puppet troupes put on shows in more than 20 countries. But in China, the popularity of the art has been fading because of insufficient marketing tactics as well as a lack of public interest.

"We have taken measures in recent years, such as popularizing the shows at schools and performing in rural areas for free which is sponsored by the government, but opportunities for performances are still limited," Wu said.

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Nevertheless, Wu remains confident about the future of the shadow puppetry after the troupe's performance received positive responses from Expo visitors.

"Every time we performed, a large number of audience members would crowd our stage," Wu said. "Some of them would remain there until the end of our plays which lasted up to more than 20 minutes."

In addition to shadow puppet plays, Shanxi Province is also known for dough figures and paper cutting, both of which will be on display at the Expo, according to Wu Limin, an official at the provincial exhibition.

"Traditional culture is an important part of the Expo that also emphasizes creativity and scientific development," Wu said. "We

expect tourists to learn more about Shanxi which has a history of about 5,000 years."

She also said the artwork on display at the Expo only represents a small part of the huge number of cultural artifacts preserved in the province because of the limited exhibition area.

Preview the Future through an Innovation Tour

Folk artists perform a scenario of Chinese traditional wedding ceremony in a shadow puppet play in the pavilion of Chinese provinces and regions at the Shanghai World Expo.

Folk artists perform a scenario of Chinese traditional wedding ceremony in a shadow puppet play in the pavilion of Chinese provinces and regions at the Shanghai World Expo.

Wu Junli (L1), Director of a shadow play troupe from Xiaoyi in north China's Shanxi Province, wants to attract more attention to the traditional art at the expo.

A foreign tourist takes photos when Wu Junli and his colleagues perform a shadow puppet show at the World Expo in Shanghai on Friday, May 7, 2010.

Text / Photo by Zhang Zhang

If you want to find out what your life will be like in the future, come and visit the Youth Innovation Exhibition at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Built on the theme of "enjoying future life", the interactive exhibition focuses on transport, mobile communication, energy sources, environment, health, construction and education.

Visitors can get a preview of their

future homes, as well as potential scientific developments, while touring seven rooms filled with curiosities.

Curious visitors stopped and crowded around a cup-shaped device as soon as they stepped into the first room. The novel device is able to detect how much water the body requires at present.

"Just put your hand on the metal ring surrounding the device's body for several

seconds; it will figure out the precise volume of water you need to drink by measuring the temperature and humidity of your palm" a guide explained, showing visitors how it works.

Further along, visitors were surprised to discover that a normal-looking mirror can actually help users pick what clothes to wear.

"If you look in the mirror for a short

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having a computer that can function in 3D.

"I want to have a 3D computer. Then, when I wear the special glasses, I can enjoy the 3D version of Avatar at home."

All the exhibits will be indexed in a database of innovation after the Expo, which is expected to boost the use of these novel products among Chinese youths.

materials."Yin Tong,

from Shanghai's Fudan University, looks forward to one day

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Preview the Future through an Innovation Tour

time, options will appear in the glass. Then you can use it in the same way you operate a computer. First, click on you gender, and then choose the age group you belong to. After that, the mirror will show you clothes it thinks are most suitable for you. It can also change the color of the clothes based on your orders."

In another room, there was a table lamp that can change its color based on signals, and a robot with the ability to play football.

The interesting inventions were popular with youngsters. Gong Ye, a college student from Shenyang in northeast Liaoning Province, came to the Expo with her grandmother. She said the exhibition was impressive.

"Like many others born in the 1980s, I am interested in those portable computers, phones and MP3 players that are capable of fast internet access wherever we are. Besides, I also like those clothes made from certain chemical

The robot is a football ace.

The device for detecting a body's water needs.

The table lamp can change its color based on signals.

Innovation is an indispensable part of the Expo.

The magical mirror.

Car-sharing Makes Life Better-Bremen Case in UBPA Text by Hei Fei

If you could have a car whenever you wanted or needed one and you didn't have to pay for the fuel, insurance or parking fees, would you still want to buy one? The German city of Bremen has a good solution to overcrowded traffic in modern cities.

What do you think of when you talk about the northern German city of Bremen? Soccer, the auto industry or the Brother Grimms' fairytales? Bremen is a modern port city with a trade and shipping history that spans hundreds of years.

The design of the Bremen exhibition at the World Expo is simple but catchy with only two colors-red and white. It uses the concept of origami to create a three-dimensional feel.

The exhibition is divided into five sections, featuring different aspects of Bremen, including nature, science, transportation and culture. Among them, the car-sharing project is the main theme, for which the Bremen case

was chosen to showcase in the Expo's Urban Best Practices Area.

Car-sharing which originated in Zurich, Switzerland, is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time. It's not a new concept in many European countries, and Bremen is one of the most successful cities using the model.

Huang Shen, a tour guide at the Bremen exhibition, explains the city's car-sharing model.

"5,500 households are members of this car-sharing company, even our exhibition manager. This company has 42 sites in different places in Bremen. Each car park is

always within walking distance, and people can book cars from phones or on the internet or via text message. You don't need to buy the car, of course. You don't need to pay for gas. You don't need to pay parking fees. It's all for free. The company covers everything. What you only need to do is to wait for your bill. They'll send you the bill monthly. It's definitely cheaper than owning your own car."

The Bremen exhibition contains three poles with vertical charts. One shows that a single rental car can replace six private cars. Another one says 160 rental cars in Bremen have replaced 1,000 private ones. And the

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third shows that in Shanghai, 6,400 rental cars could replace 40,000 private vehicles.

The data also indicate that the utilization rate of private cars is quite low at around an hour a day on average. That means that most vehicles sit on parking lots for the remaining 23 hours.

Some Chinese visitors agree with the data.

"Usually, I only drive my car to and from work."

"I don't use my car much-only about one hour a day."

As one of the Expo's urban best practice models, the Bremen case does have practical meaning for many Chinese cities such as Shanghai.

Li Yaming, the assistant manager of the Bremen exhibition, explains.

"With this car-sharing system, Shanghai can save a lot of parking space which can be used perhaps as children's playgrounds,

hospitals or houses. And every one can get a car. When you need a car to transport a lot of things and go to another city on vacation, you can rent a car; you don't have to buy one. And when you are a part of this car-sharing system, you'll realize just how seldom you really need a car."

Many visitors say they have been inspired by the environmentally friendly idea and would like to join in such a project.

"I think it's good because it's quite environmentally friendly. If we can share cars, then we will need fewer parking lots and more land resources. And if there aren't so many cars, it will help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I would like to try the idea."

"Now young people are more practical. They won't buy a car only to show off their wealth. I think the car-sharing idea is good. Not only do parking lots and car maintenance consume a lot of energy, but also just

producing so many cars consume a lot of energy."

"I think the project is practical. If we have such services, there is no need to buy a car then. And I assume it can help to reduce a quarter of the cars on the road. It also lowers your costs compared to owning a car."

Car-sharing has a huge potential for improving the quality of life in densely developed mega-cities. Residents choose suitable vehicles to travel in, but they are no longer own cars themselves; instead they are served by a complete customer service system. They only pay the costs incurred for using the vehicles.

The benefit of this solution is to free up city transportation at no cost to compromising people's freedom to travel. The number of vehicles will not increase beyond control. This is the solution for future urban transportation that Bremen is showing to the rest of the world through the Shanghai Expo.

Tips To Make Your Expo Tour Easier

How can visitors enter the Expo Park as quickly as possible? How can you reduce queuing time? And how can you reserve spots to see the hottest pavilions? Here are some tips for you.

Text by Liu Bing, Liu Yuanhui

Tip 1 Entering

During the Expo, visitors should try to avoid Subway Line 8, as it is crowded; and try to approach Yaohua Road Station from Line 7. The No.8 entrance gate at the junction of Pudong South Road and Yaohua Road is expected to be heavily crowded as it is near the China Pavilion. Visitors are recommended to consider taking another entrance, like the No. 5 entrance gate at Hongshan Road, if they look for shorter lines.

Tip 2 Routes

To speed up the pace of visiting pavilions, visitors can adjust their route and stagger their visiting times. Visitors can choose the pavilions where there are fewer people.

Tip 3 Food & Drink

All of the zones and areas surrounding the Expo Axis are equipped with restaurants offering all types of food, including Chinese and Western cuisines, coffee and snacks and fast food.

Bring your own lunch to save time waiting in long queues to buy food within the site.

No liquids can be brought in, so consider bringing an empty water bottle to fill at one of the water fountains once inside, or buy a bottled drink from a vending machine offering milk, orange juice, soda water and so on.

Tip 4 Clothing

Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and prepare for a day of walking, as seating around the site is sparse.

Ladies are not recommended to wear high-heeled shoes or boots.

Loafers or running shoes are preferred.

Visitors are advised to carry a portable water-proof coat and remember to bring an umbrella if rain is forecasted.

Tip 5 Terrain & Transportation

Visitors are suggested to familiarize themselves with the layout of the park or bring an Expo guide map.

Free maps are available at each entrance.

There are bus stops every 250 meters within the 5.28-square-kilometer site with frequent service. A total of 120 buses will roll by every three minutes to take about 220,000 visitors between the Pudong and Puxi Expo sections.

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Paid busesBesides the free shuttle service, visitors

can also pay to tour the site on golf cart-like vehicles with a capacity of eight people. They will run mainly on the elevated pedestrian roads and will carry around 10,000 visitors a day.

Metro Line 13, with three stations, provides transportation within the site and operates every six minutes during non-peak hours and every three minutes during peak hours. Visitors can travel for free when they present an Expo ticket.

Ferry Twenty-two ferry boats and 13 tour

ships will take visitors across the river. The boats will run about 600 times to take 240,000 visitors each day.

Tip 6 Toilets

Queues outside the toilets near the entrances and security check during peak periods are likely to be long. Walking further into the park, visitors can find clean and tidy toilets without queuing.

It was reported that lines for the restrooms at the last World Expo in Aichi, Japan, were extremely long. This time around, the Shanghai Expo Bureau collected data on more than 1 million toilet users when constructing toilet layout. Visitors are guaranteed toilet waits of no more than 10 minutes, even during peak periods. More than 9,000 toilets were installed for the Expo 2010. Meanwhile, in order to solve the "toileting" problem, the Shanghai

Environment Protection Bureau has built 620 new emergency toilets.

Tip 7 Tickets & Reservation

(1) Checked TicketsThe Shanghai Expo organizer says

reservations can be made after security checks at the entrance.

(2) Limited Reservation Visitation There are two ways of reserving a visit

to the China Pavilion, depending on whether visitors have a group ticket or individual ticket. Group ticket visits have to be reserved a few days in advance. However, visitors with an individual ticket can book visits the same day.

The Expo Organizer reminds visitors that one entrance ticket allows you to make six reservations per day. Visitors can reserve at most six pavilions with one ticket, including the China Pavilion or one of the Theme Pavilions along with five foreign pavilions.

(3)Volunteers will help visitors make reservations

In the Expo Park, volunteers will distribute reservation tickets for visiting pavilions, replacing the previous practice of asking visitors to book times through machines. Visitors with checked tickets will be able to make valid appointments. When booking, visitors can choose only the pavilion - the booking time is set due to each pavilion's schedule.

Meanwhile, the organizer says that every visitor is eligible for only one

reservation ticket per pavilion. At present, about 22 reservation spots

and more than 170 reservation machines have been set up at the main entrances of the Expo site. Other reservation machines will be installed at the entrances of more than 20 foreign pavilions that rented the machines from the organizer.

Tip 8 Planning

Inside the Expo Park, some visitors wander around aimlessly and some go around the Expo Axis for almost an hour. They don't even think about whether to visit Zone A or Zone B.

Visitors are advised to plan ahead. According to the information from newspapers, TV or websites like CRIENGLISH.com, visitors should select their favorite pavilions and performances and choose the best routes via rail transit, bus and water transportation.

Meanwhile, visitors who have a special medical history should be careful and prepare their medicine accordingly. If they have problems, they should turn to the Medical Center for help immediately.

The elderly and children should be well taken care of also.

The Expo Park is massive and a large number of visitors are expected, so it could be easy for children to get lost if parents are careless. Before entering the park with their children, visitors should keep a close watch on their children to avoid being separated by the crowd.

Delicacies Tempt Expo Visitors Text by Shi Yingying

We start our culinary journey in a South Korean restaurant, which is on the second floor of the South Korean Pavilion. Waiters and waitresses dressed in traditional Korean costumes are greeting customers in the Korean language. The restaurant offers all kinds of famous Korean dishes, like Royal Rice mixed with Beef and Vegetables and Grilled Beef.

There're more than 100 restaurants scattered throughout the expo park. They have good decor and many have invited highly acclaimed chefs to cook for them.

Lee Chang Don from South Korea is the General Manager of the restaurant. He says since the expo's trail operation till now, their business is going quite well.

"Our most popular foods are Bibimbap and Bulgogi. Bulgogi is Korean barbeque, and is rice cake with Korean a little bit spicy sauce mixed with vegetable."

Theresa Voitt is a German living in Beijing. She and her husband are both fans of Korean food. They give this restaurant the big thumbs up.

"It was very good. It's the best food I've eaten in my life. We live in the Korean district, Wang Jing (in Beijing). We had some Korean food there. But that's not so good."

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A strong aroma of roasted meat from a Turkish restaurant made my mouth water. Located next to the Expo Axis, the restaurant has been making every passerby licking their lips. It provides several set menus with prices ranging from 60 to 80 RMB. The restaurant is owned by a Turkish manager Mureat Demiryurek.

"We have chefs and ice-cream makers from Turkey, totally 37 people, and also we invite Turkish Ballet dancers showing in our restaurant continuously. Also we're providing Turkish Kebab. Many countries are now introducing that Kebab is our food-- the kebab is Turkish food."

Mureat says they also have a restaurant in the Turkish Pavilion. There, they especially provide sticky-ice-cream, which is tougher and chewier than other ice cream. It has been selling very well. Mureat says taking part in the expo is a great opportunity to promote Turkish catering culture in China.

"We're not looking this as our business. This is not just the business, and the expo is

not just expo. We're exchanging the culture. Also I teach them the Turkish language."

After having the delicious Turkish Kebab, if you still have room for more food, the "chocolate factory" in the Belgium Pavilion is one of the best dessert choices. Because you can watch the chocolate-making process and then taste Belgian chocolates free of charge!

Dhose Geanbermard from the Belgium Pavilion believes the Belgium chocolate enjoys high prestige in the world, because people make it with love. He introduces their original intention of inviting visitors to join the chocolate-making process.

"People can really enjoy it by the taste and also by seeing how it was made. This is all material and stuff to make the forms of chocolate to have a nice look to meet with the tastes. We have the entire ingredient that they used, and the forms and stuffs, and a little bit of its history - where is it from?"

When the night draws on, the energetic music from the Irish Bar "Porterhouse" will

tempt you to get in to have a glass of beer, or two! David Seitz, the bar's supervisor will serve you the most authentic Irish drinks.

"We're a home brewery, which means we brew all of our beers, we make our own whisky. We also make our creamed Liqueurs similar to Baileys. All these bottles that you see on the windows again they're all made in England and bought in Ireland. We get them shipped over to China, specifically for the expo."

For visitors who want to try some Chinese food, they can go to the Chinese food street which is next to the China Pavilion. They provide China's eight major culinary cuisines in a variety of restaurants.

It's definitely impossible to experience gourmet delights from all around the world in a single day.

So before you start your culinary journey at the expo, you'd better do some research and design a perfect eating and drinking plan for you.

Expo of Costume Text by Nila Nyakoa

It's a global fashion show with no runway here at the World Expo. To differentiate themselves from other countries, some nations' pavilions have their staff dressed in either stylish uniforms or traditional costumes.

At the Shanghai World Expo it's not just about showcasing different cultures, technology and cuisines to the world, fashion is also taking center stage.

Many European pavilions are leading the way with stylish uniforms designed by major Brands such as Prada and H&M, and these outfits are attracting many visitors to these pavilions.

Take for example the Germany Pavilion, the organizers are not only exhibiting the 'better city better life' concept but also putting the theme into practice with the clothes worn by the pavilion hosts and hostesses.

Marion Conrady, the press officer for the Germany Pavilion, explains.

"When we started to plan Ballancity and we were thinking about better city better life, Of course everything had to do somehow with sustainability and ecological ideas and so on. And so we were thinking ok our staff should wear something which has this idea also included"

Playing a big role to reflect the principle of sustainability, Conrady says style

had to be environmentally friendly as well as functional.

"The materials for the jackets and also for the trousers and the skirt are one hundred percent recyclable because it is one hundred percent clean material. And this T shirt is also very, very special. When you put it into the ground when you dig it, for a hundred percent it will disappear after a certain time because it reacts to the bacteria in the ground."

The Fabrics have all been manufactured in Germany to demonstrate German industries ecological expertise. The shoes being worn by the hosts and hostesses here have been specially made in such a way that the natural material used such as natural rubber remain breathable and skin friendly when worn throughout the day.

And many visitors here are also noticing the difference in outfits when it comes to the hosts of the different pavilions.

Hannibal Hector is an Argentinean visitor at the Expo.

"The most wonderful uniform for me was the African uniform because they are typical from their countries they are not

like sportswear or sports clothes so for me the African wear was the best amongst the pavilions"

Another Visitor John Chen has noticed that the small things can make a difference when it comes to the outfits of different nations.

"What I saw a little different was the UK had a bandana around their neck or sometimes they wore a bandana around their hat that's about it so small differences. You can tell that they are representing their country I guess by showing the colors of their flag wearing them on their uniform."

Even though she agrees that it is important to have uniforms for different pavilions, Emma Howard, another visitor, does not think that in this case fashion matters all that much.

"Because you don't notice the uniforms until you go inside the pavilion. So of course you gonna see the pavilion first, I don't think anybody cares about the uniforms”

Meanwhile Germany's Expo outfits have been given a cheerful touch that creates a striking look for the Germany Pavilion

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linking China and Germany together according to Conrady.

"Of course we chose this Orange Red color because we know that this color in China especially the red color is for celebration and for good luck. And we

integrated the Ballancity logo and the style also as a reference to Chinese fashion and fashion ideas"

This event has therefore seen many pavilions and their staff become fashion conscious while keeping an eye on the Expo's

carbon neutral and environmentally friendly agenda. By combining these elements of style and functionality, they have managed to catch the attention of the majority of expo visitors.

Stamping Fever at the Expo Text by Hei Fei

"I stamped about four to five thousand books yesterday and most of them twice, so that's about 10,000 stamps."

Tony McNulty works at the Liverpool stand in the Urban Best Practices Area. Stamping Expo passports takes up much of his time. Of course he's not the only one. Most of the pavilions and stands have at least two people in charge of giving stamps to visitors.

Since the opening day, the passports have attracted millions of people. For most of the visitors, their first mission is to buy a passport so they can collect stamps.

"The idea of the passport and stamps are quite interesting. It's like a visa. It makes people feel like they've been to all these countries and it's associated with the Expo. I really like the idea."

"With the stamps I'll know which pavilions I've been to. And the designs of some stamps are quite creative. I have a stamp from all the pavilions I've visited, about 30. I'll keep the passport to remember the Expo."

"I like the idea because I think it's interesting and I can look at it years from now. And I think many stamps are a part of the countries' unique features. Every country's stamp is different. You can record them on your Expo passport."

"Somehow, the Expo passport brings the adults back to their childhood. When we were young, many liked to collect cards or postcards. I think maybe one of the most enjoyable moments in the Expo is the stamps."

Some travelers like to collect stickers on their luggage to show how many places they've visited. Many people hold on to their passports with all the visas they've received to keep a record of their adventures. At the Shanghai Expo, people's enthusiasm of the Expo passport is just like the weather, it's getting hotter and hotter. People here are desperately trying to get stamps on their passport from all the countries at the Expo.

The Expo passport originated from the 1976 Montreal Expo in Canada. At the beginning, the passport also worked as the entrance ticket but as time passed, it's now a popular souvenir for collecting pavilion stamps. It looks like a real passport, and is about the same size with even the paper feeling the same. For the Shanghai Expo, there are five versions with different colors: red, blue, green, yellow and brown. And the cost will run you about 30 Yuan or about 4 US dollars for one passport.

Li Jun is with the Shanghai DOW Culture Media Co., Ltd., which is the only official supplier of the passports. He says there are about 80 souvenir shops at the Expo site and all of their products will be sold out within 24 hours. The sales have been beyond their expectations.

"We've sold about 3 million passports. Everyday, we distribute about 200,000 books to the stores which sell out in one day. Now, we are printing more products to meet people's demands and will make the distribution volume to 300,000 per day. Before, we estimated the sales volume may reach 15 million but now, we expect the target to be higher."

According to Li, at the 2005 Aichi Expo, 5 percent of the visitors bought the little book. And the ratio will definitely be higher at the Shanghai Expo.

The passport supplier is happy to see "stamping fever" at the Expo; however, some of the pavilions can barely handle the enthusiasm. In some cases visitors have

brought a dozen books with them to get stamped.

As a result some of the pavilions have stopped the stamping service such as the Ireland Pavilion, and some limit the number of stamps one person can have, like the Liverpool stand. Tony McNulty explains.

"To be honest, if we allowed, some people would come with ten or fifteen or even twenty passports, we'd love to stamp everyone's books but if we were doing that we wouldn't have time to do anything else."

But on the other hand, Tony understands people's love of the little book.

"I think for the Expo, for most people it is probably an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it's a great souvenir to take home and also to show friends and say they've been to all these places. It's just a little slice they can take away with them."

Overall the handy passport will leave a deep impression on every one at the Expo regardless if they're working there or simply visiting.

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First Impression of the EXPO Text / Photo by Zhang Zhang

In my opinion, the most difficult thing for the organizers of the Shanghai World Expo is attracting attention from a public that has seen the remarkable success of the Beijing Olympics, and has seemed to lack interest in any other event since then.

Unlike the Olympic Games, which excite audiences with astonishing athletic performances, the Expo, may seem a little dull.

But as soon as I landed in China's largest economic hub, I found the whole city in full swing, ready for success. Everything needed for the Expo is right in place.

The China Pavilion, the highest building in the Expo Park, which is among several Expo structures to be permanently

retained, has no doubt become the city's new landmark, replacing the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the Bund.

With a distinctive roof made of brackets that interlock with each other, a traditional architectural technology in China, the pavilion was depicted as the Crown of the East.

Every time I walked along the road north of the China Pavilion, I would see many tourists photograph the red structure, which is currently enclosed by a fence, from outside the park.

Security is usually the most important factor in key events held in China, and the Expo is no exception. Police in battery-powered cars patrol every road in the park,

but their gentle behavior impressed on us that they are there to serve the people, not to try to control anyone.

Civil participation in the Expo is another element essential to its success. Innumerable citizens have been mobilized to help manage traffic on the city's artery streets. There are also volunteers, most from local universities, offering considerate service.

I have seldom asked for help from volunteers since I don't want to bother them. But once I had to turn to them.

I had an important interview yesterday and needed to take the subway, but the metro network in Shanghai is more complicated than in Beijing. I was confused with all the colorful lines marked on the map and

The bright-red China Pavilion is the highest building in the Expo Park and is among several Expo structures to be permanently retained.

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approached a young girl dressed in a volunteer uniform at the entrance to the press center. Following the route she showed me, I arrived on time after a trip of less than 50 minutes that spanned 15 subway stops and an interchange.

Despite all of these efforts, in my opinion, improvement is still needed in some areas.

Security checks at the Expo Park have been the most thorough I've ever seen, even more than at the Olympics two years ago. During the trip between our hotel located at the No.4 entry and the International Broadcast Center at the park's center, we have to undergo two scanner checks on the road plus a reporter certificate check by staffers at the IBC entry.

I've heard that brawls broke out between security staff and visitors on the first

day of the trial operations, when more than 200,000 citizens were invited to the park. People crowded at the entrances and had to wait a long time for security checks that usually took more than a minute and a half per person, longer than the same procedure at airports.

We were also unsatisfied with the carelessness of some services. On Tuesday afternoon, there was a rehearsal for the welcoming banquet, and shuttle bus service between the park and our hotel was suspended, but none of us was informed. Finally, we had to walk about two kilometers to go back.

Anyway, we still believe it will be a successful Expo, since efforts have been made to improve efficiency. On April 26, when 350,000 tourists come to the Park, we saw a smoother flow, and heard fewer complaints.

Opening NightGlowing firework marks the opening of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Friday night, April 30, 2010. It's the first time that the expo has been held in a developing country. [Photo by Duan Xuelian & Zhang zhang]

A duplicate of the Qin Dynasty’s terra cotta soldier stands hand in hand with Haibao, the mascot for the Shanghai World Expo, representing the concept of the combination between the ancient and modern times.

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China Expo or World Expo?

After a three-hour visit to the China Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, including a nearly two-hour wait in line to get in, I had mixed feelings of pride and shame.

Pride because our pavilion is one of the best pavilions at the Expo, if not the best. With highlights such as a huge digital replica of the painting "Riverside Scene at the Pure Moon Festival" and an electric train carrying passengers past displays about the milestones in China's development, the China Pavilion deserves more than just one visit.

But one visit could cost you an entire day waiting in the long line at the foot of the square-shaped "Crown of the East." The shameful thing is-there are hardly any foreign visitors in the queue.

It is not hard to understand that most people who come to the Expo will want to see the China Pavilion. It has long been in the spotlight even before it was completed.

But isn't one of the purposes of the Expo for people to learn about the rest of the world? And this time around, it is being held in China because we want the world to learn about us. The easiest way to do this is to visit the China Pavilion which houses the treasures of Chinese culture and traditions.

A worker at the Slovakia Pavilion was among one of the visitors who spent nearly two hours waiting in line to get into the China Pavilion. He said he wanted to see the pavilion because he is interested in Chinese culture and would return to Slovakia the next day. This was the only time he could visit, but he never expected there to be so many people waiting to get in.

Fang Xin, a Shanghainese I met at the Urban Practice Area, said the best route to tour the Expo is to start from where there's no crowd. As for the China Pavilion, she said she had no concerns about not having a chance to visit it, because the pavilion would remain standing after the Expo ends. So for Shanghai locals and all the Chinese, there's absolutely no rush to see it now.

If only more people could understand the true meaning of an Expo instead of blindly following others. As a visitor and reporter who have been at the Expo site for 10 days, I suggest that those who plan to come here do not waste too much time in lines to see one particular pavilion. After all, why give up the whole world for one nation?

Long, winding lines of visitors wait to get into the China Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo on Friday, May 7, 2010.

The digital version of the famous Chinese painting "Riverside Scene at the Pure Moon Festival" is on display in the China Pavilion on Friday, May 7, 2010.

An electronic train takes passengers through a tunnel with videos and models illustrating China's development phases on Friday, May 7, 2010.

Text / Photo by Duan Xuelian

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CRI Reporter's Diary

Trip to China Pavilion-the Oriental Crown Text / Photo by

Yang Yang

About 160 years ago, London opened the doors of the sparkling Crystal Palace for the first World Expo, a celebration of predominantly Western cultural and technological achievements in the midst of one of the greatest turning points of human history, the industrial revolution.

At the end of the first ten years of the 21st century, the People's Republic of China has opened its doors to welcome visitors from all over the world to the first World Expo held in a developing country. What will China bring to the world, and how will China

showcase Chinese wisdom after the financial crisis and a series of natural calamities? These are the questions that attracted me most, so I made the China Pavilion my first stop at the Shanghai Expo.

Walking towards the pavilion, I was awed by the building's spectacular design - the shape of an oriental crown - showcasing the spirit of traditional Chinese culture. At 63 meters tall, the China Pavilion stands three times taller than any other pavilion. Painted "Gugonghong," the same red as the Forbidden City, the roof of the Oriental

Crown is made of six layers in the dougong style, an ancient form of architecture used in 700-476 B.C., just like the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is such a precise, sturdy structure that no glue or fasteners are needed to hold the pieces together.

Stepping into the first section of the exhibition, named "Exploring 'Oriental Footprint,'" I was attracted by an eight-minute movie by famous Chinese director Lu Chuan. The film demonstrates

30 years of Chinese urbanization in a poetic style. My thoughts were brought back to the 1980s, when I was born. At that time, mobile phones were called "dageda" in Chinese and were definitely a luxury for ordinary people living in the cities. But now they are a necessity and major communication tool for everyone throughout the country. It is not hard to think of examples of how people's lives have been changed by the development of new technology. How amazing!

Getting into an excursion train, I had a wonderful journey experiencing the great

A display in the China Pavilion shows what 11-year-old Lan Ruoxi imagines life will be like in the future.

Crowds of people wait in long queues to enter the China Pavilion under the root of the Oriental Crown on May 10, 2010.

Visitors take an excursion train inside the China Pavilion to experience the great wisdom and achievements in China's urban development from ancient to modern times on May 10, 2010.

A gloriette demonstrating daily life in ancient China is showcased in the China Pavilion.

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wisdom and achievements in China's urban development from ancient to modern times. Chinese traditional architecture, such as gloriettes, demonstrates how people's lives were in the past; and modern structures like the National Theatre showcase the wisdom of modern Chinese architects.

Finally, I went to the last section,

where I could see how Chinese people will tackle future challenges brought about by urbanization in a sustainable way that takes low-carbon technology as its core. Cleverly designed interactive clocks showcased in this part of the exhibition show you how to live a low-carbon life at different hours of the day. When you touch 8:00 a.m. on the screen of

the clock, it will show you tips on how to get to work in environmentally friendly ways.

Actually, there are some provincial exhibition halls underneath the "Oriental Crown." Unfortunately, I haven't had time to visit those halls yet, and I hope to explore more in the next few days.

Chinese Visitors: Expo is Impressive but Too Crowded Text / Photo by

Sara Lilja Steensig

Expo 2010 in Shanghai is the biggest World Exhibition ever. Showcasing ancient traditions and the newest technology from all corners of the world, it is difficult not to describe it as impressive. That is one of the conclusions Radio86 came to after asking random Chinese visitors about their experiences at the site.

However, "big" is not necessarily "beautiful." The popular event attracts more

than 300,000 visitors per day, with waiting time in queues lasting up to five hours.

"Today is our time here. There are so many people. It is noisy and exciting," Ms. Zhang from Anhui Province told Radio86, coming out of the India Pavilion.

"We just want to see different customs and traditions from around the world, but it is so crowded," Zhang said.

Escape To The West

To avoid the masses, another Expo visitor, Ms. Deng, and her family, who are originally from Hunan Province, decided to skip the national pavilions in the popular Pudong area. Instead, they crossed the river to explore Expo's less crowded western area,

Puxi. "Today, we have been mainly in the

enterprise pavilions on the western side. We went to this side, because we searched for tips on the Internet last night, so we knew that it would be crowded," she explained.

Deng is especially impressed with the convenient transportation at the World Exhibition. She has had a good day with her

family, but one destination is still missing: The China Pavilion.

"We did not get the tickets today. I read on the Internet that there are only 2000 per day! Today they ran out of tickets at half past nine, almost immediately after opening time. It is just impossible to get tickets!"

Fortunately, Deng, who lives and works in Shanghai, is all too used to waiting in line. She plans on returning later to try to

get access to the China Pavilion.

Football, Stress And Pride

The huge crowd was also the main concern for Mr. Chen and Ms. Fu, who came from Tianjin. We met them previously at the Expo in July's almost unbearable heat, shortly after Spain had won the World Championship

Ms Deng from Hunan Province hopes to visit the China Pavilion.

Ms Fu and Mr Chen from Tianjin find Expo are a little stressed out.

Ms Zhang from Anhui Province finds Expo a little too crowded.

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in Football. Mr. Chen was especially annoyed with the long lines.

"I had wanted to see the Spain Pavilion most, because I love football. But there was such a long queue, so we didn't end up going," he explains.

Instead, the couple – who wore

matching Expo T-shirts – visited some of the many joint pavilions, where several countries or provinces share one roof. For whatever reason, these pavilions were less popular, and can usually be accessed without hours of queuing.

"The problem with Expo is that there

are too many people and the queues are ridiculous. To me it doesn't feel like being on a holiday. It is stressful," laughs Chen.

"But Expo is magnificent! As a Chinese, I feel proud that we are able to hold this Expo," his wife said.

Expo - A Driving Force For China's UrbanizationText by Chen Zhe

With the theme of "Better City, Better Life," the 2010 Shanghai Expo has aimed to share experiences to make cities better living places. Wan Jifei, Executive Director of the Expo, talks about the impacts that this historical event has brought to China's fast urbanization process.

From bidding for the Expo, organizing it to its ending, Wan Jifei has been a witness and a participant.

"The number of visitors has exceeded 70 million. The whole process has been smooth and safe. The total investment of the Expo has been 28.6 billion yuan. It has made remarkable profit considering ticket sales, sales of licensed products, sponsorship income and re-development of the Expo site, not to mention it has upgraded the infrastructure in Shanghai."

Wan Jifei says the Expo received more than one hundred world leaders and has enhanced China's international influence.

More importantly, China has found in the Expo the gap between itself and developed regions.

He says by bringing the world's best urban practices to China and through exchanges in culture, science and technology and city development, the Expo has given China ideas on how to promote the quality of urban life.

"Many Chinese cities have organized trips to the Expo to learn experiences in city construction, management and the development of new energy. They signed cooperation agreements with cities such as Madrid and Hamburg. District officials in Shanghai visited the Taipei Pavilion to learn their experience in garbage disposal. China has just begun to realize the importance of

low-rent housing. In the Expo's Urban Best Practice Area, some pavilions have displayed their low-rent housing and welfare housing practices."

Wan Jifei says during the Expo, China showcased both its achievements and its shortcomings.

"At the Expo, there were Chinese people throwing garbage on the roads and jumping the queue. Some healthy people skipped queues in wheelchairs. Foreign visitors have also experienced China's environmental pollution and traffic congestion. Some of them visited not only Shanghai but also some underdeveloped areas of China. China cannot dodge the problems. Instead, it will solve them in an open manner."

Wan Jifei says China has made the most of the Expo and will put into practice what it has learned from other countries to make the country a sustainable and better place.

Expo Living Quarters Not Living up to Expectations

As the six month long Shanghai Expo finally comes to an end, it can be said with some confidence that this, the largest Expo in history, has been a resounding success. Not only has the event given tens of millions of Chinese a taste of international culture, it has also provided a showcase for some of today's most cutting edge ideas within the area of urban planning. However, I found not everything has gone according to plan.

Text by Dominic Swire

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Expo 2010 Concludes

Over the past six months the Shanghai Expo has focused on how to make our cities better places to live. And for the large part, this has been a huge success with glowing reports from tourists, pavilion organizers and the press.

However, like all huge undertakings, there have also been some lessons that the organizers themselves will be taking away with them. One of these will be from the design of the Expo Village. This is a complex of modern apartment blocks and shops covering over half a million square meters and designed to house around 10,000 Expo staff. However, the area ultimately ended up resembling a ghost town with an occupancy as low as 10 percent.

One of the few countries to house all their staff in the village is Denmark. Christopher Bo Bramsen is Commissioner

General of the Danish Pavilion. He says he was a little mystified about the lack of other occupants when he first moved in.

"I asked people, too. Why are we so few. I felt I was one of the first commissioner generals who moved into the Expo Village and I felt all alone in this big area."

Although Mr Bo Bramsen insists he and his staff are very comfortable in the present accommodation, he says some shops and services are not working because of the lack of people. Considering the motto of the Expo is 'Better City, Better Life', it's ironic that the one living complex the Expo organizers have been responsible for has not lived up to expectations.

Philip Lote is Communication Director of the Norway Pavilion. He believes there are two main reasons behind the lack of inhabitants in the Expo Village: price and

location. "On a general basis, I could suggest

that maybe the prices were a bit too high. You know that's not so affordable for some countries. Other members of staff have also suggested that when they were going to work at Expo every day they actually wanted to live somewhere else in the city so they could have a bit of a distance to the event. You know, if you want to stay here for several months, some of our guides stayed here for seven months and they really do not want to both work and live at the Expo. They wanted maybe to live on the Puxi side of Shanghai and get different experiences."

While the Expo Village may not have achieved its full potential, it is hardly likely to threaten the legacy of this historic event which has not only raised the profile of Shanghai, but also China.

Expo Staff Members: Expo Brings Us Joys And Friendship

Many of the staff members at different pavilions have been working at the Shanghai Expo for six months. So how has their expo experience been?

Text by Chen Zhe

Abigail Amponsaa from Ghana is a student at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. She applied to work at the expo in order to get to know more about different cultures.

Her goal has been achieved after her six-month stay at the Ghana Pavilion.

"Being here has really enlightened me. I have seen so many things. We get to know how other people think and behave. People behave differently. We're also able to combine our cultures even though there's diversity. We come to a common ground where we can all understand each other and have fun."

Abigail's job at the pavilion is to stamp peoples expo passports and explain the exhibits to visitors between 9:30am and 10 p.m. Considered by many as a very boring job, she has found a great deal of pleasure in it.

" Because there're always lots of people coming here, they always make you laugh. They come to chat with you. Sometimes they speak their languages without knowing whether you understand or not. Even you say you don't understand, they are still trying to chat with you. It's fun."

Abigail's most exciting experience was on the day the Ghana Pavilion received its one-millionth visitor. As an African, she had never seen so many people calmly gathered together in one place in order to see the reception.

Working in the Africa Joint Pavilion, which is comprised of the pavilions of forty-two countries, makes befriending others quite easy. When the pavilion quietens down at night, they move around to share with others how their day has been at the expo. Edison Odhiambo of Kenya Pavilion is one of Abigail's closest friends.

"Because Ghana is directly opposite the Kenya Pavilion she's been taking me around in Shanghai. I enjoyed a great deal of things with her. I also have a few friends

in the Rwanda Pavilion and in the Namibia one."

Like many people working at the expo, Abigail has had little time to visit other pavilions. But she still managed to make friends with staff members outside the Africa Joint Pavilion.

"We all live together. We don't discriminate that this is an African or this is an Asian. If we have a party, it's all of us together having fun."

Abigail is planning to engage in some sort of business in Ghana after she finishes university here next year. The expo experience will serve as a plus for her future career.

"You meet other people and their companies. You can contact them for help or for business transactions. I have a lot of contacts from other countries. "

Both Abigail and Edison joined the choir with staff members from other pavilions to perform at the Expo's closing ceremony. They said that, although the Expo is ending, the friendship it has brought to people will continue.

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"Expo Superman" Visits 80 Pavilions within One Day Text from CRIENGLISH.com

Most of the Expo visitors only manage to visit five or six pavilions in one day at the Shanghai Expo Site. However, one man has topped all other visitors by touring 80 pavilions in one day, and he has become popular among the country's internet communities as a "superman."

Fu Yunfeng is a senior student and has an internship at a company in Yiwu. He is fond of traveling. He chose the Shanghai Expo as the destination for his graduation trip.

Fu Yunfeng said that he went into the Expo Park at 11o'clock in the morning. After waiting in line for half an hour, he got into the Argentina Pavilion, followed by Tunisia Pavilion, South Africa Pavilion, Algeria Pavilion, Angola Pavilion and Nigeria Pavilion.

"My friend suggested that I tour the C sector of the Park. South Africa is the most crowded, taking me about an hour to line for it. The African Joint Pavilion is not that crowded and I got into 17 small pavilions among all the national pavilions, such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Djibouti and so on."

Fu Yunfeng went to the sector for America after touring the Libya Pavilion. When he finished the Peru and Columbia Pavilions, he went into the Mid-South American Joint Pavilion, which includes over ten National Pavilions. He visited Chile, Venezuela, Cuba and some other not so crowded pavilions. "I am deeply impressed with the Chile Pavilion. It is extremely beautiful."

When he went into the sector for European nations, Fu Yunfeng found that it was so crowded there that even those small pavilions had long line. So he decided to have his meal first and line up for those pavilions with shorter lines. "When I got to B sector, it was already 5 o'clock in the afternoon."

Fu also visited UN Pavilion, World

Meteorological Pavilion, Red Cross Pavilion and the Pacific Joint Pavilion.

When he finally went into A sector, it was during the time that visitors with day-time tickets had left and visitors with evening admissions had not yet entered. This allowed Fu Yunfeng to visit the overwhelmingly popular China Pavilion without waiting. Then he proceeded to visit 8 provincial pavilions. After that, he went on to visit the Pakistani Pavilion, Sri Lankan Pavilion, Oman Pavilion, and others.

Later in the evening, he went to District D and District E. Because time was running short, he hurried to visit the Vanke Pavilion, Information and Communication Pavilion, Private Enterprises Joint Pavilion and Space Pavilion without stopping to admire the details.

At 10:30 P.M, Fu left Puxi. On the ferry boat, he enjoyed the beautiful views of the Expo site at night while reviewing the seals on his " Expo Passport," satisfied with his trip. "When I found there were a total of 80 seals set on my two passports, I felt quite excited. It is the best souvenir for me," said Fu.

Visiting Shanghai Expo at High Efficiency

Mathematician Hua Luogeng once said that medical planning is a part of our daily life. Medical planning is also the skill that Fu used to visit 80 pavilions during only one day.

"If you want to visit as many pavilions as possible in limited time, you must make good use of 2 time slots. One is 5 P.M when visitors with day-time tickets have left while ones with evening admissions have not yet entered. Another is 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening when there are not as many visitors and you can visit many pavilions without waiting." Fu said.

"If you want to visit as many pavilions as possible, you must try to reduce the time

you spend in line." Fu said. "Entering some popular pavilions such as the Saudi Arabia Pavilion and the Japan Pavilion requires about 6 or 7 hours in queue. You are better off visiting other small pavilions at first. Besides planning your visits, you should bring enough food so that you can save time by eating while waiting in line. There are also sightseeing buses. You can take the bus if the pavilions you want to visit are far, which can save your physical strength. When you have questions, ask volunteers for help. They are quite warm-hearted and helpful."

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From London To Shanghai: What Legacies Will The Expo Leave Us ?Text by Zhang Cheng

During the past 184 days, Expo 2010 stands as a technological and cultural extravaganza that introduced the world to China, and also exposing China to the world. As the expo comes to an end, please follow me to review what legacies the expo has left to China and the world.

From 1851 in London, "10,000 State Industrial Fair" had been an extravaganza for human civilization. The Expo transformed, since then, into an economic, technological and cultural global festival.

From London to Shanghai, the Expo captured the world's attention.

Before the Shanghai Expo opened, many critics doubted that attendance would meet and exceed the organizers' expectations.

The Shanghai Expo reached the goal of a record number of 70 million visitors, 4 million of them coming from overseas. Meanwhile, it broke another record with approximately 250 countries and international organizations participating in the event.

Most Chinese don't get an opportunity to travel abroad. The expo succeeded in introducing the world to China.

In Shanghai, many Chinese visitors were impressed, regarded the expo as a technological and cultural extravaganza. Chen Guangjin, a Shanghai retiree, enjoyed observing various technologies and cultures from around the world. He's visited the park 28 times.

"I think I've visited nearly all the pavilions. In my mind, China Pavilion, Saudi Arabia Pavilion, Japan Pavilion impressed me most, because they all convey messages or green ideas for environmental protection. I took all of my relatives to visit the expo, hoping they can learn more about the world."

The Urban Best Practices Area stands as the highlight of the Shanghai Expo. Green ideas convey the primary theme: "Better city, Better Life."

A German 'passive' house amazed visitors with its design to save energy by utilizing wind and solar power. Other environmentally-friendly cases include the London case, Spain case, to name a few.

During our rapid process of urbanization and deteriorating environmental conditions, the presentation of these green ideas remains significant for everyone living and sharing the same planet.

Many members of the staff, as well as visitors hailed from overseas. They enjoyed the opportunity to glimpse at different cultures in one park.

Maire Tihoniis, a group member of Tiki Village dancing group, came from a small island in the South Pacific, called French Polynesia with a land area of about 4,100 square kilometers. He said that he got to know the world better.

"For foreigners working here, it's an extraordinary experience. We are from the South Pacific, from such a little country, just like a dot on the map. We come here to meet people from all over the world. It's an amazing experience for our lives. Everyone dreams of discovering different countries. For us, we don't need to go to each one because all the countries come into one place. We have time to meet and share different cultures with other people. Now I have friends in Asia, Africa and Europe."

Maire believes the expo legacy offers him an amazing future of friendships and improved relationships between countries, along with a greater sense of respect.

Prior to the Shanghai Expo, the international event was just hosted by developed countries. It should be noted that

China is a developing country.Hence some people will recognize

some differences. The Shanghai Expo was not just concerned with the number of countries participating and visitor counts, but also focused on the concept of a balance between humanity and nature. Organizers were able to handle an astonishing amount of visitors. How did they introduce and guide them? This will determine the Expo's reputation and people's impressions of China. It shouldered the burden to introduce China to the world.

George Armstrong is a visitor coming from Scotland.

"I think what brings to foreign visitors is how capable China is putting together an exhibition of this size. We all know China's done a good job to hold 2008 Olympic Games. This Expo is perhaps more difficult in some ways. We see very good organization here."

On October 16, the Expo went about smoothly with over one million visiting the park that day. Meanwhile, in order to provide a comfortable environment for people waiting in line, expo organizers used cooling fans, televisions and some interactive games to cheer them up.

Scottish visitor, George Armstrong, says he's impressed by the human-oriented ideas at the Shanghai Expo. He can feel the warmth of the Chinese to welcome friends from all over the globe.

Indeed, the legacies of the Shanghai Expo will not only be the exchange of intelligence, but also in making friends, showing respect in the spirit of cooperation and looking forward to future development.

Expo 2010 Concludes

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Wang Shan's Day As A World Expo Volunteer Text by

Zhang Mengyuan

At the World Expo, the group of young volunteers wearing green T shirts and white pants are always the busiest, buzzing around the park to ensure everything runs smoothly. Every two weeks, a group of university students start their duties as volunteers at the World Expo. Wang Shan is a senior student from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

At a few minutes past nine in the morning, the World Expo is just opening, but most pavilions already have long queues of visitors waiting to enter. The popular pavilions, such as the European ones, are even more crowded. Wang Shan is working at a volunteer service post in the waiting area of the Germany Pavilion. Surrounded by the long queues of visitors, she easily gets lost in the crowd.

"Our working area is just a few square meters. This post is often surrounded by crowds and our directors can not easily find us. This morning, they asked us 'where is your post?' And we took them here."

Wang Shan's working hours are from 7:30am until 3:30pm everyday. Because the institute she studies is located in the remote Songjiang district, Wang Shan and her schoolmates have to get up at 5:30 every morning to get ready for work. It is the hottest season of the year, and the temperature reaches as high as 35 degrees Celsius. Wang Shan stands under a big umbrella which shields her from most of the glaring sun, but sweat is still dripping from her forehead.

A visitor curiously asks why Wang Shan and her colleagues are wearing long sleeved T-shirts in such hot weather. They explain that it's a method of shielding themselves from the sun, as their arms are already sunburned and peeling. Although conversations are occasionally initiated by some visitors bored by long waits, Wang Shan is mostly asked the same questions.

"I am mostly asked by the visitors 'how long should we wait to get into the pavilion from here?' This question can be asked more than a hundred times a day, so we have

the loud speaker to aid us. Even with the loudspeaker, some of my team members have gotten sore throats the first day."

From where Wang Shan stands, the visitors have a wait of about four hours before entering the Germany Pavilion. The long waits take a toll on visitors, especially the elderly and young children.

To escape from the sunshine, a kid goes through the fence and sits in the shade of the volunteer's working area.

"Actually the visitors are not allowed in our working area, but since it's really hot these days, sometimes we may let kids sit in the shade while their parents wait in line. It's really difficult for old people and children to queue on such hot days."

Normally, volunteers have a fifteen-minute break after every hour worked, but during the hottest days, they can rest for an hour. It's Wang Shan's turn to take her lunch break. As the leader for the team of eight volunteers working in the European pavilion area, she first gets several bottles of water for her team members. On her way to the canteen, she is constantly stopped by visitors with questions.

Q: "Where is the catering center please?"

A: "Catering center…you should walk in that direction."

Q: "How long should I walk? Should I go straight?"

A: "Let me check the map for you.…"It is the second day that Wang Shan

formally works as a volunteer. Although she has received two days of training and walked around the Expo to get familiar with the area, it's a little difficult to remember everything on the map. Sometimes she gives wrong directions, and has to run and catch up the visitors to correct her mistake.

After a quick lunch, her hour's break is nearly gone. Wang Shan rushes to her post to resume her duties. At lunch time, there are fewer visitors, but those who are still waiting in line are getting anxious due to the heat. A box of ice is placed at Wang Shan's post, in order to help cool the temperature.

Bottles of water for volunteers are also piled here so Wang Shan and her team can enjoy cold water. While passing by the post, many visitors take out money and ask to purchase the water. Some others ask for pieces of ice to help temporarily relieve the heat. Wang Shan tirelessly explains the rules that she has to enforce.

"I'm sorry; these bottles are not for sale. You can buy water at the stand just ahead. The ice is for cooling the temperature. And we only provide it to senior people and children. Thank you for understanding."

Although they are working in the World Expo, volunteers do not have the privilege to enter the pavilions. Standing outside the pavilions everyday unable to see the inside is somewhat disappointing for Wang Shan.

"We are not allowed to enter the pavilions. After we finish our duty, we may be able to visit the China Pavilion. But we can't see the other ones where we work. Every morning we start work at 7:30, when there are no visitors around. We really want to get into the pavilion and take a look, but we can't. Some visitors come to ask us what's interesting inside the pavilion, and we have to say we don't know either."

But the work still has a pleasant side for Wang Shan.

"Visitors are really friendly to us. We sweat a lot. And some visitors may offer tissues or towels to us. At those moments, I feel really happy."

After finishing several hours' work, Wang Shan meets other volunteers in the meeting room. After the speech from their team leader, who is also their teacher at school, the students excitedly chat about how many pins they have gotten today. Pins are another fun aspect for the volunteers.

"The volunteer pin is our own culture. I have not got many because I have only worked for two days. I saw many volunteers who have finished their duties, and they have a lot of pins. They were all exchanged from other people."

When the teacher takes out pins the college made for them, Wang Shan and her

Expo 2010 Concludes

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From Our Listeners

peers quickly gather together to discuss which one is prettier.

With another new pin, Wang Shan happily walks to the gathering place where a bus will take them back to their college. A hard day's work leaves her tired, but she is pleased with her job.

"I have finished my second day as a volunteer in the World Expo. I'm more familiar with the work, and have made fewer mistakes today. I hope I will be able to make no mistakes in the future. The day was quite fruitful. It's good that I can work happily during the day, and have a good sleep

at night."While we are chatting, another visitor

interrupts to ask how she can get to the Belgium Pavilion. Wang Shan confidently points the visitor in the right direction with a big smile on her face.

Congratulations to you, China, on a job well done in organizing this prestigious Expo! It is bound to be a resounding success judging from the enthusiasm shown by so many countries around the world! This should be a feast for us to see how great you are as a nation! We wish you the greatest of success!

Norbert Bonnet France

The World Expo Shanghai will show the world once again which China owns and is able to do. But in addition it will be a special opportunity so that different countries and cultures occur a brotherly hug. The conclusions will remove in the end, although I do not have doubts that the advances in technology and environment will be important. I want to be witness of the World Expo Shanghai 2010!

Hugo LonghiArgentina

Later this year we expect many attraction and magic from Chinese products. The World Expo in Shanghai is among the big event that will expose new technology to show where the world is to. I predict this optimistic but realistically China is known for its fame in modern technology and its ease use products. An evidence was attested in the part summer Olympic held in Beijing 2008. I’ll never miss to glue on my TV set for learning and enjoy seeing new products. Keep it up the good exposition, the city of trade, Shanghai.

Franz Ngogo Tanzania

I like your reports about World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Your reports and programs about World Expo 2010 give me all information which I want. In my view it is very difficult for other countries to maintain the standard of next World Expo and also

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next Olympics. The nation of the Great China has done a very good job in every event, if that is in the field of sports, business or in the race of new technologies.

Your website is very informative and beautiful. Any body can get news and reports on current issues in China from your website. Crienglish.com is one of the best website about China. I regularly visit this site and get a lot of information. I am very thankful to all staff of crienglish.com for working hard only and only for us.

Syed Khizar Hayat ShahPakistan

I think the 2010 World Expo held in

Shanghai, China for the first time with the theme “Better City. better life" meaningful reminder to the international community to give attention to problems faced in advancing human and wake as in environmental issues, the amount population, food materials and therefore the norm in urban development is an important issue to the people need to consider. In addition, World Expo 2010 is also a window for visitors from outside China and regionally for China to see the latest development in China and regional visitors can also see new achievements in science and technology from countries and regions its gazebo.

SuwitoIndonesian

The Shanghai Expo sounds awesome. I enjoyed the March/April edition of the

Messenger featuring some of the different pavilions. We would have liked to have seen the New Zealand Pavilion featured in the magazine. Good luck for the rest of the Expo.

Jen HopkinsNew Zealand

Thank you for your efforts in bringing China to the world through radio and the Internet. I thoroughly enjoy learning about your culture and your country.

I am especially impressed by the efforts to ensure Shanghai Expo 2010 is a success. I hope to visit there myself in August.

Kenneth Jones USA

I would like to state that your reporting on the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 was excellent. The lavish ceremony and presentation was awesome. I also saw the video and audio presentation on the CRI website on the opening ceremony and welcome

banquet. President Hu Jintao and other leaders stressed on maintaining safety and quality services during the six-month long exposition.

I would like to wish World Expo 2010 all success.

Jayanta Chakrabarty India

Dear CRI, with utmost hope you guys are doing well over there in Beijing.

Today, I feel you should know that China Radio International has actually served its audience greatly.

These few years were a trying moments to almost all the countries; financial crisis, earthquakes, landslides, climate change and many more. We got the updates from CRI especially those happenings in the Asian Continent.

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From Our Listeners

Here, I must commend you for the efforts. You created an atmosphere where every seeker of the real events can get the gist without sweat, especially through your website's update.

Media is considered, widely, as an avenue where genuine information can be aired to the entire audience, therefore, your efforts has really helped in this area.

Please, keep it up CRI!Dawanau.Salisu

Nigeria

Yesterday two more copies of the MESSENGER came. As usual I spent a long time reading them. All the articles were very interesting and a joy to read. In the March/ April issue which showed the design of the CHINA PAVILION, it is very impressive. -And so are the designs of the other nations. I also enjoyed reading the article about YAN’AN and its part with Mao ZEDONG and his Revolution. The place should always be kept as a shrine.

H.Dal UK

These copies of the Messenger are really outstanding. The photos and stories they contain reflect your dedication to surpass even National Geographic. You’ve created the perfect complement to the magic of radio! My favorite picture in the Messenger for 2009 is the young boy on page 3 of the May-June 2009 issue!

J. Anton Beletz USA

I have been a regular listener to CRI for several years apart from during 2009 when I was studying for and enjoying my new amateur radio license. The difference now is that I have a super-fast internet connection and my own computer, so I have discovered I can receive CRI News whenever I want. I also enjoy browsing your website, which is fantastic by the way! It is very up-to-date, colourful and interesting to read.

I am just writing to say thank you for a great website and especially for a great choice of programs to listen to online.

I do however still listen on short wave as it is a great feeling to know the transmissions are coming direct from Kashi or Urumqi in China.

Adam Toynton UK

Thank you so much for the Messenger issues. I was so happy to read in the March-

April issue that the pandas are so well and carefully being cared for. The smiling faces of the children testify to your excellent recovery from the tragic earthquake.

The folk festival looks like so much fun. I wish I were young enough and in good health enough to tour your country and also to attend your many fabulous functions. Unfortunately at age 76 we are sometimes limited, and so enjoying the Messenger and really seeing so much of your beautiful country is a source of much pleasure.

Doris Randall USA

I’m still listening to CRI and interested in news from China. The occasion for this contact was because Finnish news was full of the visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Finland. He met our president and even Santa Claus at the Arctic Circle. I was very happy to learn also that he visited Finnish Forest Company’s forest area. I am forest researcher so I do hope that also forestry cooperation between China and Finland will increase in the future.

Jyrki Hytonen Finland

I listen to CRI in the morning - local time - usually. The Drive Time programming is always interesting. I have a short wave (plus AM - FM) radio in my car. Also have several short wave radios along with an amateur radio station (AD1B) in the house.

Also listen to streaming audio occasionally. The thing that makes Drive Time a

successful program is the pairing of a Chinese with a non-Chinese announcer. It seems to me that this allows a great discourse and exchange of cultural information. It is unique and very effective.

I have listened to radio from China since 1962 - on my parents' Grundig Majestig Radio. A copy of my QSL card from the 1960s is attached. Also - I still have my copy of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book that I received from the old Radio Peking in the 1960s. Have read it.

Thomas Hart USA

I really like listening to CRI. We have many Chinese students here. When I listen to CRI, I can get the news from China. Then I mention this news to the Chinese students, and they are surprised I know so much about China. So CRI helps my relationship with my Chinese students. The American news media doesn't report a lot of information on China

unless there is a political problem between the US and China. So most Americans don't get much news, and when they do get news it's always about a conflict. So please continue broadcasting on short waves. I really hope you can continue the short wave radio service. I listened to CRI when it was Radio Peking in 1960s. After that I went to college and did some other things, so I stopped. When I returned to graduate school in 1990, I realized I needed to keep informed about other cultures, so I started listening again.

Stephen Zolvinski USA

English Service CRI, 16A Shijingshan Road,Beijing, China 100040Tel: 86-10-6889161�/ 1580

Fax: 86-10-68891121

Email: crieng@cri.com.cnWebsite: www.crienglish.comEditors: Tang Minguo, Xie QiaoExecutive Editor: Shen SilingDesigner: Zhang Nan

The Messenger is free of charge. For extra copies, further information and sending in your contributions, please contact:E-mail to: crieng@cri.com.cn

The Messenger magazine is the internal journal of the English Service of China Radio International, published bimonthly for CRI listeners and web visitors.

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Director: Yang Lei

Director-General: Wang Gengnian