Spotlight falls on urban harmony extravaganza

scene of the signing ceremony

Wang Zhongwei, head of the Publicity Department of CPC Shanghai

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee

A Taiwan arts company, along with Shanghai Media Group, will provide a spectacular stage show based on the "Better City, Better Life" theme of the 2010 World Expo.

The Taipei Arts International Association yesterday signed a deal with the Expo organizer. The stage show, "Light of Cities," will use music and dance to tell an urban story of love and harmony.

It would show the development of Chinese cities from ancient to modern times as well as urban lives in different countries, said Serrina Chen, director of the association and a producer of the show.

The show would involve Chinese opera, Western drama, acrobatics and multimedia, she said.

Dialogue will be sparse in the show to help visitors from around the world.

The show will last for 30 to 40 minutes and feature four afternoon and night sessions. A total of 650 shows will be performed during the Expo.

The organizer will build an indoor stage especially for the centerpiece show in the Expo Park at the very west of the Expo site. It will be about 8,000 square meters in area and 20 meters high and capable of holding 2,000 spectators.

It will also be able to be dismantled and moved to other venues at the site.

Shanghai and Yeosu Expo organizers meet

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination presents Expo 2010 tickets to Yeosu Mayor Oh Hyun-sup.

Organizers of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo and the Yeosu 2012 met yesterday to discuss cooperation about preparation and share ideas. Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination yesterday headed a delegation to Yeosu in the Republic of Korea and met Yeosu Mayor Oh Hyun-sup.

Hong briefed Oh on the progress of Expo 2010.

He said he hoped the two organizers would encourage more Chinese and ROK people to visit each other's Expos to enhance understanding and exchange.

Oh expressed his hope that the Expos would further strengthen the exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

He said he looked forward to visiting the Shanghai Expo in October. The Yeosu Expo, which will have the theme "The Living Ocean and Coast — Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities," aims to bring countries and regions together to share technology in preserving the ocean and coastal areas and exploring marine resources.

Shanghai and Yeosu signed a four-year agreement to cooperate and share Expo information in Seoul in August last year.

Yeosu will exchange ideas with Shanghai on marketing, volunteer recruitment, tourism product development, participation, promotion and operation of the event, according to the memorandum.

The two cities will assist each other in Expo-related promotional activities and dispatch groups of experts to exchange views on preparatory work.

London contributes zero-carbon buildings for Expo

The City of London is building China's first carbon-neutral buildings as its contribution for the Shanghai World Expo's Urban Best Practices Area.

The buildings will house a lecture hall, a restaurant, an exhibition hall and six model rooms.

Six designers will create six different styles for the rooms, which will have environmentally friendly furniture and decoration.

The inspiration for London's UBPA two pavilions came from the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), an environmentally friendly housing development near Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton.

BedZED encourages public transport, cycling and walking, and discourages cars with limited parking.

The buildings will use the technology and methods used in BedZED with adjustments for Shanghai's climate.

The London Pavilions will be situated north of the Shanghai pavilion on the Puxi side of the Expo site.

Construction started in May.

Interns join Expo cause

Xu Weiguo, deputy Party chief of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

Student Lu Minhua(left) and Lu Yanhua show their contracts with the Shanghai Foreign Service Co yesterday. They are two of the 130 interns officially recruited by the World Expo 2010 organizer.

THE 2010 World Expo organizer yesterday recruited 130 interns from the city's university graduates to assist in operations for the event.

They will begin to work in the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination from September to the end of the Expo in October next year.

A three-week training program from the Expo organizer will include Expo general knowledge, Chinese and English writing, etiquette, group working, fire fighting and emergency aid.

The students were employed in 23 departments of the bureau in areas including secretarial work, archive management, marketing, construction, legal services and public relations.

The organizer will recruit about 1,000 more interns at the end of the year to work in the Expo bureau, national pavilions or government institutions at the Expo site

The Expo organizer aims to showcase the image of Shanghai youth to world visitors at the Expo and provide job opportunities to local graduates under the current financial crisis, said Xu Weiguo, deputy Party chief of the bureau.

Local unemployed graduates aged between 20 and 25, are eligible.

English speaking and writing abilities are needed for most of the positions. Wages are about 576 yuan (US$84.27) per month with the bureau paying other expenses.

Shen Yue, 23, who graduated from Tongji University, said she rejected an offer from a company that promised to pay her 2,500 yuan per month to apply for the Expo position.

She was recruited as a bureau administration assistant.

Interns can leave work if they find new jobs, but need to give a month's notice, said Zhuang Meichun, deputy director of Shanghai Foreign Service Co.

The company, a human resources service provider, will hold the first round of interviews. The Expo bureau will conduct final interviews at the end of next month.

Potential candidates can apply online at http://jianxi.efesco.com/jianxi/index.jsp.

Xu said the organizer would grant certificates and write recommendations for the Expo interns for future careers.

Spotlight falls on urban harmony extravaganza

scene of the signing ceremony

Wang Zhongwei, head of the Publicity Department of CPC Shanghai

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee

A Taiwan arts company, along with Shanghai Media Group, will provide a spectacular stage show based on the "Better City, Better Life" theme of the 2010 World Expo.

The Taipei Arts International Association yesterday signed a deal with the Expo organizer. The stage show, "Light of Cities," will use music and dance to tell an urban story of love and harmony.

It would show the development of Chinese cities from ancient to modern times as well as urban lives in different countries, said Serrina Chen, director of the association and a producer of the show.

The show would involve Chinese opera, Western drama, acrobatics and multimedia, she said.

Dialogue will be sparse in the show to help visitors from around the world.

The show will last for 30 to 40 minutes and feature four afternoon and night sessions. A total of 650 shows will be performed during the Expo.

The organizer will build an indoor stage especially for the centerpiece show in the Expo Park at the very west of the Expo site. It will be about 8,000 square meters in area and 20 meters high and capable of holding 2,000 spectators.

It will also be able to be dismantled and moved to other venues at the site.