Vice-premier urges Expo construction be stepped up

Constructors work on the Austria Pavilion.


Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan yesterday urged construction of exhibition pavilions and facilities to be sped up in a "race against time," with little more than a month left till the opening of the Shanghai World Expo.


"With the joint efforts from various aspects, the preparation work for the Shanghai Expo has been going smoothly as a whole. However, there are still challenges," said Wang, also chief commissioner with the event's organizing committee, in Beijing yesterday.


Wang said currently the most urgent task is the construction of facilities in the venues.


"We should improve service and facilities with stress on details to satisfy Shanghai residents and both domestic and overseas visitors," said Wang.


In addition, Wang urged mapping out a plan to cope with peak attendance periods and bad weather.


Offering the largest-ever exhibiting area of 5.28 sq. km in the World Expo history, a record 70 million visitors from home and abroad are expected to attend the Expo from May 1 to Oct. 31.

German ambassador: City to become central point of life in future

The city will become the central point of our life in future, and the development of future cities all depends on human beings' progress, German ambassador to China Michael Schaefer said at a press conference in Beijing yesterday.


How to build a city with inside harmony? Schaefer quoted a question which is closely linked to the theme of German Pavilion - "Balancity".


The key factors of building future city consist of natural ecological balance, social stability and all-around sustainable development, Schaefer said at a press conference briefing on Germany's participant in the Shanghai Expo 2010.


The 6,000-square-meter structure will be Germany's largest Pavilion at any Expo, Schafer said, and around 70 million visitors are expected during the whole Expo.


"This magnificent structure impressed me at the first sight." Schaefer added.


Schaefer also emphasized the meaning of "balancity" to the media: a marriage of the terms "balance" and "city"– is Germany's interpretation of the Expo theme: "Better City, Better Life".


It means an amazing city in balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, society and its individuals, work and recreation, and finally, between globalization and national identity.


This central idea can be directly experienced by visitors everywhere in the German Pavilion. Every visitor brings vigor to the "banlancity". Once entering the pavilion, they will become an indivisible part of the structure.


Taking part in the Shanghai Expo will be a good chance to express itself for Germany, it will be presenting itself as a multifaceted nation and an innovative, forward-looking country that also places great value on the preservation of its roots and heritage.


Despite the worldwide global crisis, Germany insisted on attending the Shanghai Expo. Schaefer believes that the relationship between China and Germany will become tighter after the Shanghai Expo.


"China and Germany are always important partners for long time," Schaefer said, "Except for the increasing mutual cooperation on trades and technique, the exchanges between two countries also expand onto culture and daily life."


China is under the process of modernization and urbanization and also has to face various challenges and many tough problems. "Germany had experienced the transformation of heavy-industrial society. We would like to share our experiences to Chinese people." Schaeffer said.


At present, German and China government are promoting a friendly cooperation program, named "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together".


This is a series of events organized by the Federal Republic of Germany in China under the patronage of German President Horst K?hler and Chinese President Hu Jintao.


Under the aegis of the Federal Foreign Office, the aim of this project is to promote mutual understanding as the basis for successful cooperation and to reinforce the image of Germany as a future-oriented, innovative nation.


"It is a great achievement of German-Sino cooperation. This project will attract approximately 1.3 million participants. Through holding seminars and cultural exhibitions, we hope to see more and more Chinese to understand the culture and some other aspects of Germany." Schaefer said.


Germany will promote the ideal concept of future city and its successful experiences on urban redevelopment to the world at Shanghai Expo. It also would like to exchange advantageous thoughts with other countries.


To the rapid urbanization of Chinese cities, Schaeffer made several suggestions: "Now China is entering a very decisive phase of its organization. In the next 50 years, at least 200 million people are going to be moving from the countryside into the big cities, which will pose enormous challenges for all of your cities."


"My suggestion is to learn from the negative experiences, which we have had in our countries in the last century, avoid the mistakes that we have made; learn from our experiences and take the best practices, take the good concepts and try to bring it to balance the needs of dynamic economy," Schaeffer said during the interview with Xinhuanet.


"And on the other hand on balanced ecology, which means the environment is presenting to every human being a framework, in which he or she or children, tomorrow our grandchildren can have a safe, positive life. That is the most important experience which we would like to relate," Schaeffer added.

Li Yining: Legacy of generations past

Li Yining, born in 1930 in Yizheng, Jiangsu Province, Li is a highly regarded economist who has been involved in China's economic reform process. He studied at Peking University from 1951 to 1955 and has been a professor at that institution since 1955. He also served as President of the university's Guanghua Management College. Li introduced the concept of joint-stock companies as part of strategies to reform the Chinese economy. The idea has been caught on and is widely practiced today in corporate restructuring.




When London hosted the first World Expo over 150 years ago, China had just suffered a disastrous defeat in the Opium War and was forced to sign an unequal treaty, ceding territories and paying indemnities under humiliating terms. By then, underpinned by eight decades of Industrial Revolution, Britain had become the first industrialized country in the world, and its ships were plying the waters of the world, including coastal and inland areas of China.


Since then, the world has undergone dramatic changes in politics and economics. China's international prestige and economic clout have steadily increased since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 -- a peaceful progression that has captured the attention of the world. In May 2010, World Expo 2010 Shanghai China will open with great fanfare. Placed in the context of history since the Opium War, the Chinese people have reason to be proud of their motherland.


China's hosting of the World Expo exemplifies this unparalleled progress. Without the liberation of 1949, the economic reform and opening-up policies of recent decades and the undying hard work of all its people, China could have never achieved so much in so short a time. At the World Expo, we will be putting this splendid success story on exhibit for the whole world to see. We look forward to this opportunity with great pride


World Expo 2010 Shanghai China will be a platform for promoting international communication and, for expanding the scope of the nation’s integration with the rest of the world. World expositions have always served as windows for showcasing the uniqueness of host countries. The World Expo in Shanghai, which is already a metropolis of international reputation, will surely usher in a new stage for China’s development and for Shanghai's march toward the goal of becoming a global financial center. This exposition will bring an abundance of opportunities for business to expand internationally. It also will afford us the chance to learn from the experience of other countries in realms such as social and economic development, business management and applied application of technology.


The theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is "Better City, Better Life," which perfectly complements our efforts of recent years to build a more harmonious society. “Better life” means that we should strive for quality of life in our economic growth, stressing the importance of jobs, education and other social services that affect daily lives. "Better life" exemplifies the principle of "people first" and the need to adopt sustainable approaches to development. Cities are the legacy of generations past and the hope of generations to come. Improving urban life requires innovation in determining how our cities look, in ensuring a clean environment and in enriching the spiritual life of residents.


Shanghai does not belong exclusively to local residents. Instead, it is deeply rooted in the nation as a whole and beckons the world at large. Improving life in Shanghai will be a role model for urban development across Chinese cities and, indeed, across the world.


Neither spiritual liberation nor independent innovation has any boundaries. To ensure a better urban life means that cities must embrace innovation, education and knowledge. The World Expo will mark a new starting line across these realms.


I sincerely wish World Expo 2010 Shanghai China every success.

As the host city for a milestone event with such an enlightening theme, Shanghai has shown its courage in addressing the challenges of future urban development and defining the global responsibilities of cities. It is my belief that through World Expo 2010, China will advance from the world factory of material production into an international cradle of civilization's promising future.

Expo maps released for public consultation

traffic guide map two


The Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination is seeking opinions and advice on a tour map and two traffic guide maps to the event.


Information on traffic from Yangtze Delta Region and traffic in the city, pavilions, entrances, parking lots, service facilities, aid facilities, commercial facilities and activities are available on the maps.


The three maps can be downloaded at official Expo Website, www.expo2010.cn. Only a Chinese version is available.

State Grid tells story with a magic box

tour map of the State Grid Pavilion
The "magic box" inside the State Grid Pavilion will use a world-leading six-facet LED-panel to guide visitors during the Shanghai World Expo.


The box is made up of 112 pieces of LED panels, 14.9 meters wide and 13.9 meters high.


From a special screening of about five minutes, visitors will learn how the State Grid meets electricity needs of a vast country like China.

Green benches debut in Pudong Expo Mansion

One thousand benches made from recycled milk and beverage cartons were unveiled at the Expo Mansion in Pudong yesterday.


The 1,000 benches, to be installed at the Expo site, were made from 113 tons of cartons collected from 728,400 citizens in Shanghai.


Ash bins and square stools made from recycled milk cartons will also be put inside the Expo site to promote environmental protection. Recycled papers made from milk and beverage cartons will be used to print Expo performance lists as well.


This initiative was organized by the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Xinmin Evening News and Tetra Pak.

Expo products exhibition held in Shanghai

Nearly 1,000 Expo products from 11 provinces and cities went on show in Shanghai yesterday.


The exhibition attracted lots of suppliers and retailers at Shanghai Mart. One hundred and two suppliers from Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, and Shenzhen took part in the exhibition.


The 184-day Expo is expected to attract around 70 million visitors from home and abroad.

Siemens executives visit Expo bureau

scene of the meeting
Top executives of Siemens visited the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination yesterday.


Dr Reinhold Achatz, head of corporate research and technologies, the central research unit of Siemens AG, met Ding Hao, deputy director of the bureau, and dicussed the company's participation in the Expo.


Ding updated visitors with the latest preparations and trial run of Shanghai Expo.

Multimedia national treasure tests Expo run

"Along the River During Chingming Festival"
The highlight of China Pavilion during Shanghai World Expo, a multimedia version of "Along the River During Chingming Festival," was tested yesterday.


The original version, a top national treasure, was painted by the Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145). It captures the daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today's Kaifeng.


The figures in the multimedia version looked stunningly real and the water waves clear during the test.

Makoto Iokibe: Superpower responsibilities

Makoto Iokibe is President of the National Defense Academy of Japan. He also serves as a professor of political and diplomatic history at the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University.




Over millennia, China remained an unrivalled central empire in East Asia. The Chinese Empire maintained a splendid civilization peerless in this region and expanded its influence far and wide. The Roman Empire and the Chinese Han Empire in their heydays, and the Islamic Empire and the Chinese Tang Empire rising in the 7th century, all enjoyed advanced civilizations. The vessels in the fleet commanded by Zheng He in the Han Empire in the early 15th century crossed the Indian Ocean and were superior in design and performance to ships such as the Santa Maria, which Zheng’s contemporary Christopher Columbus sailed in his historic trans-Atlantic voyage. Of course, all interpretations of history are open to opinion.


After the Roman Empire collapsed because of the massive migration of Germanic people, the spiritual legacies of its civilization were inherited by the succeeding European world. In comparison, even after the Chinese Empire was conquered by other ethnic regimes, like the Yuan and the Qing dynasties, those ethnic groups were eventually assimilated into the Chinese civilization and subsequently became the driving forces that carried forward that civilization. The Han people have been the chief protagonists in the development of the Chinese civilization.


The Chinese civilization continued with the vicissitudes of dynasties and changes of regimes, repeating the 150-to-200-year historical cycle from one dynasty to another with insurrections in between.


A sudden change took place in this cycle in the 19th century. Although the decline of the Qing Empire was nothing unexpected in historical terms, it coincided with the invasion of East Asia by Western powers, led by Britain. Different from traditional civilizations that depended on manpower and horsepower, the Western civilizations that boomed after the Industrial Revolution were propelled by engines to extend their influences across continents and oceans. This industrialized civilization was the first that turned the earth into a smaller world. For non-Western societies, this ascendancy proved a tremendous challenge. Thanks to its promptness in understanding Western civilization, the island country of Japan soon modernized and rose to the same status as Western powers. By comparison, China took too long to appreciate the forces of change. That kept China plunged in turbulence for 140 years, beginning with the Opium War in 1840.


Since Deng Xiaoping’s initiation of the policy of“reform and opening-up,”China has made rapid progress. Thanks to its outstanding economic growth over the past 30 years, China has once again grown into a big central power in East Asia and indeed the world. Even the global economic crisis that started in 2008 failed to disrupt China’s progress. Instead, it gave China the opportunity to exhibit the great resilience of its economy.


Soon World Expo 2010 Shanghai China will begin. This is not only an exposition for the world to celebrate China’s great progress in the past 30 years but also an opportunity for China to show the world that it will rise to a superpower status equal to that of the United States by the middle of the 21st century.


What kind of superpower China becomes will not only affect its own future but also the destiny of global development this century. I sincerely hope this World Expo will send the message that however powerful it may grow, China will never run roughshod over any other country and will exhibit honorable conduct and high moral standards that foster global prosperity and happiness through economic and cultural exchange.

NZ foreign minister visits Expo site

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully visited the Expo site today.


The foreign minister checked the construction of the New Zealand Pavilion, which has a rooftop garden as a highlight. It covers 2,000 square meters of land and cost NZ$30 million (US$21 million).


Hu Jinjun, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, accompanied the foreign minister on the visit.


New Zealand Prime Minister John Key will visit Shanghai during the World Expo.