Red Cross donation

Huang Jianzhi, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, presents the first-aid kits to a participant representative.

Shanghai Red Cross donated 180 first-aid kits to World Expo authorities yesterday.

The organization will keep supplying such medical needs throughout the event at no cost. Expo authorities are equipping pavilions with the first-aid kit to provide timely assistance to unwell staff and visitors. All medical support is free to the public in the Expo site.

Shanghai Red Cross has helped train Expo volunteers in administering first aid skills.

HK volunteers ready to serve

Henry Tang Ying-yen, chief secretary for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, receives a flag from Xu Weiguo, deputy Party secretary of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

One hundred Hong Kong volunteers will start working at the Expo site in early July.

Volunteer representatives received a flag from Henry Tang Ying-yen, chief secretary for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Xu Weiguo, deputy Party secretary of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, at Monday's inauguration ceremony for Hong Kong volunteers in HK's Youth Square.

Forty of the volunteers had served either the Beijing Olympic Games or East Asian Games. They attended a training course following the ceremony.

Also launched at the ceremony was the universities experience tour. A group of 600 university students from Hong Kong will go to Shanghai from July 4 to 8 to attend the Youth Week of Expo 2010 and have exchanges with volunteers from mainland universities.

53rd day records 400,000-plus attendance

The Expo site attracted more than 400,000 visitors yesterday amid pleasant weather.

Among yesterday's visitors, 163,000 were on tour groups and 69,316 visitors used free tickets Shanghai government distributed to local residents.

A total of 34,711 tickets were sold on site, with 12,964 night admissions.

Houtan Gate received about 71,000 visitors, Changqing Road 68,000, and Shangnan Road, Gaoke Road W. about 108,000 in total.

Individual tourists are advised to enter from less crowded gates at Shangnan Rd, Bansongyuan Rd or Madang Rd during 9am to 11am rush hours.

By 5pm, 79 shows were staged, attracting 81,000 spectators. A total of 6,272 volunteers served on the site.

The site is estimated to receive about 180,000 group visitors today. Because the city enters its plum rain season, visitors are advised to take an umbrella, pay special attention to food hygiene and ensure enough water and rest.

Environmental improvement week opens

A week-long campaign to improve facilities and persuade World Expo visitors to use garbage bins was unveiled at the Culture Center in Expo site today.

It was organized by the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, Shanghai City Appearance & Environmental Sanitation Administration Bureau and Shanghai Environmental Industry Co.

Through activities, the organizer will encourage visitors to use the garbage system properly by sorting recyclable rubbish, and protect the environment.

In the week of June 23-30 during the Expo, visitors joining the environment protection action will get special stickers and other small gifts including fans and clothes. Expo visitors are encouraged to use cigarette lighting facilities and other public utilities properly. In addition, Shanghai Environmental Industry Co has prepared art performances.

Pavilion directors explore China's debut at World Expo

Directors enjoy a ferry trip.

paper-cutting show

Huzhou ink brush making

Directors get gifts made by craftsmen.

Sixteen pavilion staff, including several directors, yesterday strolled through Nanxun, a water town in northern Zhejiang Province known for its silk that won a gold medal at the first Expo held in London's Crystal Palace in 1851.

They visited the Nanxun Silk Assembly Hall, where the silk was exhibited.

Their tour also included the Jiayetang Library as well as the Zhang and Liu family compounds.

The library used to be one of the biggest private libraries in the region. It still contains an impressive collection of wooden printing blocks housed in a two-story colonial structure built around the courtyard. Nanxun features an interesting mixture of Eastern and Western architecture.

Nanxun boasts the typical water town features - canals, bridges, small lanes and old houses.

Lebanon dazzles visitors with art feast

Caracalla Dance Theatre presents a dance production "Two Thousand and One Nights."

Caracalla Dance Theatre presents a dance production "Two Thousand and One Nights."

The show features exquisite costumes and brilliant settings.

The show features exquisite costumes and brilliant settings.

The show wins applause.

Caracalla Dance Theatre, an internationally renowned dance company based in Beirut, Lebanon, presented a dance production "Two Thousand and One Nights," featuring exquisite costumes and brilliant settings, at the Expo Center last night.

The theatre was established in 1968 and performed in Beijing in 2005. The show was the theatre's debut in Shanghai.

"Two Thousand and One Nights" is the theatre's most known play, which was based on the famous story of "One Thousand and One Nights". It showcases the glorious Arabic culture.

Ivan Caracalla, director of the theatre, said yesterday that the theme of the show is love, humanity, compassion and forgiveness. China is an incredible country, which always looks forward, he said when talking about his impression of the country.

A total of 75 artists of different cultural backgrounds participated in the two-hour performance in celebration of the Lebanon Pavilion Day.

Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates Pavilion Day

The Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates its National Pavilion Day today with fabulous dance performances.

The 2010 Expo would help the Democratic Republic of Congo and China strengthen exchange and cooperation in foreign affairs, business, cultural and scientific fields, Bernard Biando Sango, Minister of Commerce and Medium & Small Business of the country, said at this morning's ceremony in the Expo Center.

The Democratic Republic of Congo boasts rich natural and mineral resources, Sango said. He appreciated China's efforts in promoting regional economic integration and multilateral trade. He also elaborated on the country's investment environment in mineral resources, wood, industrial, tourism, banking, insurance and communications.

Wang Sifa, China's deputy commissioner general for World Expo 2010, said the Democratic Republic of Congo is a good partner of China and the two countries have seen fruitful cooperation in trade and economy, culture and education as well as hygiene.

The country's exhibit showcases its coordinated development concept among resources, human beings and cities, which provides a good exploration in urbanization for developing countries, Wang said.

Themed "More Harmonious and Prosperous City, More Treasures," the pavilion presents its vast mineral resources – the nation is famous for diamonds and rare minerals for electronics - and its goals of urban development in balance with nature.

The main area is arranged around a recreated mine - symbol of its wealth, and features dramatic pictures of the natural wealth, splendor and history.

54th day reports smooth operation

A total of 402,000 visitors toured the Expo site yesterday. Among yesterday's visitors, 164,000 were on tour groups and 98,285 visitors used free tickets Shanghai government distributed to local residents.

Smooth operation was announced by the organizers.

A total of 35,588 tickets were sold on site, with 14,593 night admissions.

Houtan Gate received about 75,000 visitors, Changqing Road 67,000, and Shangnan Road, Gaoke Road W. about 113,000 in total.

By 5pm, 75 shows were staged, attracting 56,000 spectators. A total of 6,278 volunteers served on the site.

The site is estimated to receive about 180,000 group visitors today. Individual tourists are advised to enter from less crowded gates at Shangnan Rd, Bansongyuan Rd or Madang Rd during 9am to 11am rush hours.

Because the city enters its plum rain season, visitors are reminded to take an umbrella and ensure enough water and rest.

Nurse wins Slovakia pageant

visitors participating in the beauty pageant

Contestants answer questions.

contestants entering the second round

Staff of the pavilion distributes candy.

Staff of the pavilion count marks.

winner of the beauty pageant

winner of the beauty pageant

celebration of the occasion

The winner Shen Jin wins two Expo tickets.

The winner Shen Jin leaves her words.

A Shanghai nurse won a beauty pageant at the Slovakia Pavilion yesterday thanks to her knowledge about Slovakia and her beautiful voice.

She took the title "Miss Visitor of the Slovakia Pavilion" out of 16 contestants, all visitors to the pavilion. They answered questions about Slovakia and the 2010 World Expo and sang folk songs of the country in the competition.

The decisive question was about the population of Slovakia and Shen Jin, the winner, knew the answer.

Her prizes included two Expo tickets, and VIP privileges to some popular pavilions such as the USA Pavilion, the Australia Pavilion, the Spain Pavilion and the Saudi Arabia Pavilion.

By hosting the pageant, the staff of the pavilion aimed to create some fun and joy for those queuing in hot weather.

The pavilion also hosted games and contests for Children's Day and Father's Day.

Laptop prize for 200,000th visitor

The 200,000th visitor to the Taiwan Pavilion received a laptop yesterday afternoon.

Gu Sunli, the lucky visitor, is a medical worker in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. It was her first visit the Expo site.

The 199,999th and 200,001st visitors got LCD screens as gifts.

Performances were staged to celebrate the occasion.

Chih Kang Wang, chairman of the Taipei World Trade Center, was present.

The pavilion receives 4,000 visitors a day.

The pavilion design is a transparent cube housing a giant ball in its centre. It is mainly made of steel and glass, the skylines of the island's Mount Morrison and Mount Ali painted on the facade. The main part of the pavilion was built with stone from Jade Mountain and soil from Yin-Ko Town.

Taiwan invites visitors to set off lanterns for blessing - a Taiwan island custom - and view its beautiful mountains and lakes at its pavilion. The pavilion showcases the island's scenery, its kind-hearted people and culture under the theme "Mountain, Water, Heart and Lantern."

UBPA exhibition unveiled at Expo Center

An exhibition involving 50-plus UBPA cases' displays opened at the Expo Center yesterday afternoon, which will run until June 29.

The showcase features photos and description about the cases.

UBPA is gaining popularity thanks to the organizers' fast-track initiative. The initiative, announced last month, aims to increase the relatively low attendance in the Puxi section of the Expo site compared to the main exhibition zone in Pudong. People can collect 16 stamps from the UBPA to get a reserve ticket to the China Pavilion or the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, two of the most popular pavilions.

The area covering only five percent of the Expo site now attracts about 23 to 30 percent of the Expo visitor flow every day, a rise from 10 percent before the policy was initiated.

Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, secretary-general of BIE, has visited UBPA for several time and praised the area.

A friend in need

Mini humanoid robot Palro, measuring 39 centimeters tall and weighing 1.6 kilograms, performs sumo wrestling yesterday at the Japanese Industry Pavilion. The robot, developed by Japanese company Fujisoft, is designed for researchers and enthusiasts willing to spend around US$3,300 on a robotic companion.

Anhui crafts focus

performance at the ceremony

performance at the ceremony

Expo visitors can make their own writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones, known as the Chinese four treasures of study, at the Baosteel Stage during Anhui Province Week.

A series of exhibitions and parades began yesterday to show the cultural riches of Shanghai's neighboring Anhui Province, themed on "Anhui Cultures Makes Life Better." The week will last through to Monday.

Visitors can ask craftsmen to carve their names or goodwill wishes on the brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones. The craftsmen said they would only try to cover costs with a charge of less than 100 yuan.

A calligrapher will also write sentences on paper or a fan for no charge.

An acrobat show will staged at 11am and 2:30pm each day and a drum show will occur at 2pm at Celebration Square.

Visitors enjoy Canada Day celebration

Visitors hailed "Happy Birthday, Canada" and "Hello, Canada."

A large number of visitors to the Expo site yesterday dedicated their greetings and enthusiasm for the Canada Day celebration, which will fall on July 1, by participating in the recording of a special video at the Canada Pavilion.

They waved national flags of Canada and hailed "Happy Birthday, Canada" and "Hello, Canada."

It will be the 143th Canada Day. The four-minute video will be shown in Shanghai and Ottawa on that day.

Slovenia celebrates Pavilion Day

The Slovenia Pavilion in Zone C celebrates its National Pavilion Day today with a concert called "The Sound of Slovenia."

Slovenia hopes to promote economic cooperation and friendship with China by participating in the Expo, Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor said at this morning's ceremony in the Expo Center. He invited Chinese people to the country and appreciate the beauty of Ljubljana.

The country declared its independence in 1991 and has achieved noticeable progress since then, he noted.

Ma Kai, State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council, said the design of the Slovenia Pavilion is unique, which showcases the development of Slovenia's cities by unfolding eight "Open Books." Visitors will be able to travel through the sea of books in a pleasant journey through time, he noted.

The Expo would serve as a platform of understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two peoples and promote the further development of Sino-Slovenian relationship, he said.

Zhou Hanmin, deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, hosted the ceremony. Wang Fuyuan, China's deputy commissioner general for World Expo 2010, attended the ceremony.

The pavilion is themed and designed as an "Open Book," with the back resembling a bookshelf listing thousands of books of many types and languages.

Inside, the pavilion features eight large exhibition areas or "books," symbolizing the "eight immortals crossing the sea" from Chinese legends. Chinese elements are included in the exhibition.

The books showcase Slovenia's economy, culture, science and technology, culture and other aspects and the exhibitions feature fantastic sights and sounds of Slovenia.

Estonia Pavilion hosts currency exhibition

Estonian currency on display

An exhibition showcasing the development of Estonian currency was unveiled at the Estonia Pavilion yesterday afternoon.

The exhibit is called "Estonian Paper Money and Estonian Coins." It displays the mark, the kroon introduced in 1928, the kroon reintroduced in 1992 and the euro, which will replace the kroon on January 1, 2011.

The kroon succeeded the mark in 1928 and was in use until the Soviet invasion in 1940, after which it was replaced by the Soviet ruble. Upon regaining independence in 1992 the kroon was reintroduced.

The pavilion boasts a colorful exterior which displays the unique ideas and great wisdom of Estonian people to protect their environment. Inside the pavilion, future, travel destinations, business opportunities and culture during the development of Estonian cities are showcased with "piggy banks," "digital notebooks" and interactive touch screens.

Classical music sounds in Ireland Pavilion

Visitors to the Ireland Pavilion enjoyed a classical music concert this morning.

Some of Ireland's leading classical musicians, all members of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, performed "Carnival of Venice" and "Carolan Suite."

The group aims to share their great enjoyment of the chamber music world by performing all the great classics alongside lesser-known masterpieces with a wide range of instrumentation.

The group was established in August 2008 and has already played several concerts in Dublin.

Indonesia Pavilion welcomes 2 millionth visitor

The Indonesia Pavilion greeted its 2 millionths visitor on June 19, an 18-year-old boy from Jiangsu Province.

It took only 18 days for the pavilion to reach another 1 million as it welcomed its first million on June 1.

The boy visited the Expo site with his family. He received goodie bags provided by Artha Graha, a sponsor of the pavilion, and enjoyed free meals at Enak! Restaurant inside.

The 1,999,999th visitor, a 33-year-old woman from Hubei named Shuai Yan Ju, also received the gift.

The exterior of the Indonesia Pavilion is covered with greenish bamboo sticks. The use of bamboo symbolizes the synergy between the traditional and contemporary lifestyle of Indonesia.

Housed in the four-story pavilion are, among other things, a performance stage, an auditorium and a multi-media theater, which will collectively facilitate a lively presentation covering nature and people's daily life in Indonesia, its rich land and marine resources, as well as its diverse cultural heritage.

A 600-meter passageway runs through the whole pavilion. A high waterfall is created in the middle of the building, creating a unique view. Water falls in different forms, and the small drops fall like countless dazzling pearls. Visitors' view of the waterfall will change as they go upwards along the passageway.

Danish drummer performs

Danish talented drummer Kresten Osgood and his band "What Time Is It" presented a flamboyant and energetic concert at Europe Square yesterday.

Born in 1976, Osgood began his musical studies at the Holstebro Music School, after which he attended the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen from 1997 to 2002. From the middle of the 90s he was already performing at most small Copenhagen jazz venues, and he did guest appearances on various CD recordings while still a student.

Kresten Osgood is a multitalented drummer who also plays piano and several other instruments. The drummer Billy Higgins was among his early sources of inspiration, which is reflected in his songwriting. Kresten Osgood and his four-man band "What Time Is It" have been constantly experimenting with a range of musical genres through participation in various musical projects as well as by playing with an endless number of guest performers.

The members of the band are Kresten Osgood on drums, Jesper L.vdal on saxophone, Krister Jonsson on guitar and Jens Bjornkjor on bass guitar.

The performance is part of the pavilion's musical program "Mermaid Music," under which 26 talented Danish bands, choirs and orchestras will give performances through the Expo. The music, mostly modern music, includes various genres such as jazz, blues, world music, rock, pop and electro.