CHINA 38: SHANGHAI-WORLD EXPO 2010

June 9

After night’s rest, and a nourishing breakfast, it was time for us to visit the World Expo 2010. Ella (Huang Hui), our guide for the day, loaded us in the bus, and we were off to see the Expo.

The Expo was organized on the theme of “Better City, Better Life”. Two hundred countries and international organization participated in the Expo to show off green, energy-saving, and environmentally sound building practices.

The Expo was organized on the theme of “Better City, Better Life”. Two hundred countries and international organization participated in the Expo to show off green, energy-saving, and environmentally sound building practices.

Haibo was the mascot of the Expo 2010. Fashioned around the Chinese character meaning “people,” Haibo signified “people are the treasure of the whole world.”

The national pavilions, exhibition halls, food courts, information booths, and toilet facilities had been set up on a 1,305-acre site spread on both sides of the Huangpu River. Quite a few sculptures had been erected at strategic places around the Expo area.

Expo Axis provided close access to all Expo facilities. It was an elevated and ground-level walkway, which was a more than half-mile-long, and more than 325-feet-wide. At places the elevated walkway was white canopies.

Along the Expo Axis were six cone-shaped “Sun Valleys.” Their solar panels provided power for their own lighting shows at night. Also each “Valley” had an open mouth as large as a soccer field, and collected rain to water the area gardens.

Most of the Pavilions that we wanted to visit had very long lines. After waiting in line for the Indian Pavilion for some time, Kundan gave up, and decided to visit the China Pavilion. Instead of wasting my time in lines, I decided to take pictures of as many pavilions as I could. I managed to photograph about 60 pavilions, besides other objects of interest.

Here are a few that I liked the most.

The China Pavilion used ancient Chinese construction style with interlocking wooden brackets.

The Pakistan Pavilion looked like the famous 11^th century Lahore Fort.

The India Pavilion was built to resemble the ancient Sanchi Stupa, and was embellished with a stone screen depicting the "tree of life", resembling a stone screen at an Ahmedabad Mosque.

The prominent feature of the Nepal Pavilion was a large Buddhist pagoda. Around it were some traditional Kathmandu-style houses, from various periods of country’s history.

The South Korean Pavilion highlighted the 20 basic letters from the country’s alphabet.

The Japan Pavilion looked was designed to depict harmony between the human heart and technology and looked like a purple-colored upside-down turtle.








The Israel Pavilion highlighted “innovation for better life” and looked like a seashell.

Shaped like a “moon boat,” the Saudi Arabia Pavilion displayed main features of the country – desert, sea, and date palms.

The United Arab Emirate Pavilion looked like sand dunes.









The Romania Pavilion reminded me of a huge green globe.

The Poland Pavilion seemed like something wrapped in a huge paper cut-out.

The Russian Pavilion was a fairy-tale city featuring 12 irregular shaped towers.

Christened “balancity” the Germany Pavilion looked like odd-shaped puzzle piece delicately balanced along each other.

The Mexico Pavilion resembled a kite-forest.

With its exterior built of 60,000 slender transparent rods, which quiver in the breeze, the United Kingdom Pavilion looked like giant seed-pod flying in the air.

Other Pavilions I liked were those from Iran,



Australia,















and Singapore.














But the pavilion I liked most was from The Netherlands. Instead of one single structure, it consisted of a complete street called “Happy Street,” which depicted an ideal city – light, airy, colorful, playful, and unique.