Sixty-one years ago at its inception, the new People’s Republic of China made a bleak beginning. It was cut off from the world, having diplomatic recognition only from a handful of nations. It was excluded from the U.N. It soon became embroiled in the Korean War and the Cold War, which brought further isolation. Its economy was stagnated. Today the People’s Republic of China has come a long way and has much to celebrate. Modern China has emerged as the most populous and industrious nation, it is the world’s third largest economy and trading nation, has become a global innovator in science and technology, and is building a world-class university system. It has an increasingly modern military and commands diplomatic respect. The spectacular summer Olympics extravaganza successfully organized two summers ago at Beijing had depicted China’s burgeoning economy and capability of presenting stunning events. Today while the rest of the world including the USA is suffering from the aftereffects of an economic meltdown and is steeped in debt, China, which is America’s greatest creditor, is preparing to showcase another fabulous event.
All eyes are now on “Expo 2010 Shanghai China”, which is a scheduled World Exposition in the tradition of international and expositions, to be held in the Chinese city of Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. The theme of the exposition is “Better City – Better Life” because it will exhibit Shanghai’s new status in the 21st century as a major economic and cultural center. Expo 2010 is expected to generate over 70 million visitors, including 100 foreign leaders, the largest number in the history of the world’s fairs. More than 190 countries and more than 50 international organizations have registered to participate in the Shanghai World Expo. The site of this massive event spread over an area of 5.28 square kilometers is the Nanpu Bridge-Lupu Bridge region located in the heart of Shanghai along both sides of the Huangpu River. To ensure connectivity and meet the traffic demands of the millions of expected visitors, the Expo organizers have planned and constructed a new network of metro lines, linking the expo site directly with other parts of the metropolis. For intercity traffic, Beijing commenced the construction of an additional Maglev train in 2006.
The Expo center comprises an array of fabulously designed structures. The main building called “Expo Axis” with the world’s largest membrane construction consists of steel-glass funnels with a 1000m long membrane construction, which was completed in end 2009. There are five central theme pavilions at the Expo 2010, exploring different aspects of urban development. They are called Urban Footprints, Urban Planet, Urban Dwellers, Urban Beings, and Urban Dreams. A lot of thought has gone into their perception and presentation to highlight real life problems and offer solutions. The Urban Footprints Pavilion portrays the growth of the cities as a decisive factor for human progress over the ages. The exhibition comprises four segments, “City Origins”, “Urban Development”, “City Wisdom” and the “Ideal Fantasy City”.
The Urban Planet pavilion, with its total floor space of 12,000 square meters, addresses the complex processes marking urbanization. The scenography combines Western forms of artistic expression with ideas stemming from the Chinese Feng shui heritage, in which dynamic processes of life may lead to harmony between the elements, but they can also unleash destructive forces. Building up on this idea, the exhibition is characterized by a dichotomous structure illustrating the two-faced character of the city as both a consumer of environment and as a place for innovation and technology in the service of an ecological renewal for the future. A “Road of Crisis” comprises five chapters, reflecting the potential of destruction emanating from the cities, the threats facing the eco-system, and the depletion of Earth’s natural resources. The intention is to confront visitors forcefully with the question of how they want to live in the future. The five chapters correspond to the five elements in Wu Xing: Water - Fire - Metal - Wood - Earth. A “Road of Solution” offers possible approaches to the problems. Best Practice examples, technological innovations, and political initiatives and resolutions stand for a spectrum of available options on the path to an ecological transformation. Visitors are expected to be offered tips on how to act more ecoconscious in everyday life.
The concept for the Urban Dwellers pavilion is depicted obliquely as the residents of modern cities are the focus of this exhibition. Its guiding principle is the awareness that city planners have to address the urgent needs of their residents as “the prerequisite for the city’s sustainable development” through video clips narrating the exemplary stories of six real families. The continents are represented by their home cities of Paris (Europe), São Paulo (Latin America), Phoenix, Arizona (North America), Lijiang City (Asia), Melbourne (Oceania), and Ouagadougou (Africa). The circumstances of life of the six families are presented in five chapters concentrating on the issues of home, work, relationship, education, and health.
The Urban Beings pavilion examines the growth of the infrastructure of modern cities, presenting the perplexing networks of both traffic and of water and energy supply as core elements in the urban “organism”. The pavilion’s exhibition rooms include a “Dynamic Station”, reminiscent of the architecture of huge train stations in the early 20th century. Train models from different generations are presented.
The Urban Dreams pavilion is located in a power plant of the early 20th century, especially reconstructed for this event. The concept involves an imagined travel into the future, adopting an optimistic view of opportunities for developing hospitable cities via a combination of technological progress and tradition, with examples of sustainable solutions for urban problems concerning living, traffic, energy supply, and city planning. In light of its special relations with China, the Pakistan Pavilion is located in front of the Chinese pavilion. The design inspiration of the pavilion comes from the Lahore Fort listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. All in all, Expo 2010 Shanghai promises an unforgettable experience for any visitor.
All eyes are now on “Expo 2010 Shanghai China”, which is a scheduled World Exposition in the tradition of international and expositions, to be held in the Chinese city of Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. The theme of the exposition is “Better City – Better Life” because it will exhibit Shanghai’s new status in the 21st century as a major economic and cultural center. Expo 2010 is expected to generate over 70 million visitors, including 100 foreign leaders, the largest number in the history of the world’s fairs. More than 190 countries and more than 50 international organizations have registered to participate in the Shanghai World Expo. The site of this massive event spread over an area of 5.28 square kilometers is the Nanpu Bridge-Lupu Bridge region located in the heart of Shanghai along both sides of the Huangpu River. To ensure connectivity and meet the traffic demands of the millions of expected visitors, the Expo organizers have planned and constructed a new network of metro lines, linking the expo site directly with other parts of the metropolis. For intercity traffic, Beijing commenced the construction of an additional Maglev train in 2006.
The Expo center comprises an array of fabulously designed structures. The main building called “Expo Axis” with the world’s largest membrane construction consists of steel-glass funnels with a 1000m long membrane construction, which was completed in end 2009. There are five central theme pavilions at the Expo 2010, exploring different aspects of urban development. They are called Urban Footprints, Urban Planet, Urban Dwellers, Urban Beings, and Urban Dreams. A lot of thought has gone into their perception and presentation to highlight real life problems and offer solutions. The Urban Footprints Pavilion portrays the growth of the cities as a decisive factor for human progress over the ages. The exhibition comprises four segments, “City Origins”, “Urban Development”, “City Wisdom” and the “Ideal Fantasy City”.
The Urban Planet pavilion, with its total floor space of 12,000 square meters, addresses the complex processes marking urbanization. The scenography combines Western forms of artistic expression with ideas stemming from the Chinese Feng shui heritage, in which dynamic processes of life may lead to harmony between the elements, but they can also unleash destructive forces. Building up on this idea, the exhibition is characterized by a dichotomous structure illustrating the two-faced character of the city as both a consumer of environment and as a place for innovation and technology in the service of an ecological renewal for the future. A “Road of Crisis” comprises five chapters, reflecting the potential of destruction emanating from the cities, the threats facing the eco-system, and the depletion of Earth’s natural resources. The intention is to confront visitors forcefully with the question of how they want to live in the future. The five chapters correspond to the five elements in Wu Xing: Water - Fire - Metal - Wood - Earth. A “Road of Solution” offers possible approaches to the problems. Best Practice examples, technological innovations, and political initiatives and resolutions stand for a spectrum of available options on the path to an ecological transformation. Visitors are expected to be offered tips on how to act more ecoconscious in everyday life.
The concept for the Urban Dwellers pavilion is depicted obliquely as the residents of modern cities are the focus of this exhibition. Its guiding principle is the awareness that city planners have to address the urgent needs of their residents as “the prerequisite for the city’s sustainable development” through video clips narrating the exemplary stories of six real families. The continents are represented by their home cities of Paris (Europe), São Paulo (Latin America), Phoenix, Arizona (North America), Lijiang City (Asia), Melbourne (Oceania), and Ouagadougou (Africa). The circumstances of life of the six families are presented in five chapters concentrating on the issues of home, work, relationship, education, and health.
The Urban Beings pavilion examines the growth of the infrastructure of modern cities, presenting the perplexing networks of both traffic and of water and energy supply as core elements in the urban “organism”. The pavilion’s exhibition rooms include a “Dynamic Station”, reminiscent of the architecture of huge train stations in the early 20th century. Train models from different generations are presented.
The Urban Dreams pavilion is located in a power plant of the early 20th century, especially reconstructed for this event. The concept involves an imagined travel into the future, adopting an optimistic view of opportunities for developing hospitable cities via a combination of technological progress and tradition, with examples of sustainable solutions for urban problems concerning living, traffic, energy supply, and city planning. In light of its special relations with China, the Pakistan Pavilion is located in front of the Chinese pavilion. The design inspiration of the pavilion comes from the Lahore Fort listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. All in all, Expo 2010 Shanghai promises an unforgettable experience for any visitor.
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