Expo takes a spotlight at book fair

A huge China Pavilion model draped in red captures the attention at the central hall of the book fair.

Readers take photos of Expo 2010 pavilions.

The Shanghai Book Fair - the city's annual extravaganza for reading buffs - this year offered something new with a raft of Expo-themed books for sale.

Expo elements were shining at the fair as the city ticks off the time to the event with only 255 days to opening.

Readers browse Expo-themed books.

A huge China Pavilion model draped in red captured the attention at the central hall of the book fair, accompanied by two cute Haibao who welcomed visitors and invited them to take photos.

Models of a variety of Expo pavilions made of paper are also on display, together with Expo-themed post cards and stamps which presented a vivid picture of the trail of world exposition history.

Readers were able to find various Expo books that traced the event's history, taught Expo-related etiquette, elaborated on Expo architecture or promoted Expo-themed tour packages.

And readers' responses were enthusiastic.

A child browses a book about Expo 2010 mascot Haibao.

The book "My Fate with Expo" written by Wu Jianmin, the former ambassador to France and former chairman of the Bureau of International Expositions, was popular, according to staff at the fair. Wu shared his World Expo experiences in the book as he and his wife Shi Yanhua participated in the bidding and preparation for the 2010 Expo.

Many readers recorded their best wishes and expectations for Expo, one saying "The Expo is an event for us all which demonstrates China's power. Wish Expo Shanghai a successful event."

The fair at Shanghai Exhibition Center on Yan'an Road will close today.

Editor: Hu Min

Innovation the key for Sweden

The Sweden Pavilion at World Expo 2010 is a temporary building. However, it is constructed from recyclable materials that can be reconstructed somewhere else. That feature of the pavilion represents the three keywords Swedish team aims to convey: innovation, sustainability and communication.

The theme of the pavilion is "Spirit of Innovation."

The design concept of the pavilion is the relationship between city life and nature.

Nature is very close to the Swedish people, and it inspires and triggers their creativity, while a well-developed urban city is essential for the enjoyment of a good life.

Glass walkways

The 3,000-square-meter pavilion is in four parts, divided by a cross or "plus sign."

"It means the city life plus the nature," says Annika Rembe, commissioner general of the Swedish committee for Expo 2010. "The design is easy and simple, but is interesting in itself."

It also represents the national flag of Sweden.

The four parts are connected by glass walkways for the convenience of visitors.

Photographs taken by a famous Swedish photographer will be displayed along the pavilion's passages. Though the specific way they will be presented has not yet been revealed, it is promised to be "exciting and eye-catching."

The outside look of the pavilion is like a city map of Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden.

"I can point out to you where I live," says Rembe half-jokingly.

In the pavilion, people will come through a "story" by walking through different parts of the pavilion and its three floors.

One of the key elements of the pavilion is in seeing things from the perspective of a child, with their sense of fun, curiosity and strange but inspiring ideas.

Pippi Longstocking has been selected to represent the innovative spirit of Sweden.

Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren and a household name in Sweden because of her strength and ideas.

"In Sweden, if a child is like Pippi and has a lot of ideas, people will consider him or her to be a Nobel Prize winner-to-be," says Rembe.

The pavilion features materials that have been specially treated so they can be applied in modern architecture.

Taking the advantage of rich forest resources in Sweden, the construction team chose wood to build the structure of the pavilion with steel as its roof. The wood is thickly compressed to be a very strong material for buildings. The steel is also specially treated to become a supplement for the cooling system and save energy. The same is true with the rubber floor, air cleaning system and so on. Sweden brings Swedish solutions to China with interesting systems and products.

The activities include music, street artists and circus performance, which will include a lot of joyful and interactive fun. People are not only visitors in the pavilion, but also participate in the activities and are part of Swedish challenges.

Source: Shanghai Daily

Taiwan Pavilion for Shanghai Expo breaks ground

 scene of the ground-breaking ceremony

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, delivers a speech.

Chih Kang Wang, chairman of the Taipei World Trade Center, gives a speech.

a model of the Taiwan Pavilion

an artist's rendition of the Taiwan Pavilion

Construction began on the Taiwan Pavilion for the 2010 World Expo yesterday despite its deadliest typhoon in half a century that has also brought great economic loss.

Taiwan will keep its 200 million yuan (US$29.26 million) budget to build its pavilion at the 2010 World Expo site, a top official involved in the island's Expo participation made the assurance in Shanghai yesterday.

But the Taiwan organizer had halted private fund raising for the pavilion across the island and would not restart until after rescue and relief work were finished, said Chih Kang Wang, chairman of the Taipei World Trade Center, the organization that will be responsible for Taiwan Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo.

The 1,000-square-meter Taiwan Pavilion will be a transparent cube housing a giant ball in its center.

The pavilion will be mainly made of steel and glass, with the outlines of the island's Mount Morrison and Mount Ali painted on the facade.

The main part of the pavilion will be built with stone from Jade Mountain and soil from Yin-Ko Town.

Its exhibition theme is "Mountain, Water, Heart and Lantern."

The pavilion would showcase the island's scenery, its kind-hearted people and culture, said C. Y. Lee, chief designer of the pavilion as well as Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers.

Editor: Yang Jian

Haibao lands in Ningxia

Visitors learn about the master plan of Expo 2010. model of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition on display Visitors check the model of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition. Visitors take photos with Expo 2010 mascot Haibao. Officials of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and the 2010 World Expo organizer this morning unveiled a statue of Shanghai 2010 World Expo mascot Haibao in Yinchuan, capital city of Ningxia. The unveiling ceremony at the Yinchuan International Conference and Exhibition Center heralded the start of a week-long Expo promotion campaign in Ningxia, which features an Expo-themed exhibition at the ongoing China (Ningxia) International Trade and Investment Fair at the center. The exhibition provides an introduction to World Expo's history and an update on the preparations for the Shanghai Expo. It also shows a model of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition, which will tell a legend of Ningxia. The fair, which has attracted more than 6,000 business representatives from more than 80 countries and regions, will run until August 23. More Haibao statues will appear in downtown Yinchuan, including the Yinchuan Railway Station. Visitors learn about the updates of Expo 2010 preparation. A visitor takes a picture of the China Pavilion's model. Editor: Hu Min

Ningxia shows off Yellow River life

scene of the press conference

an artist's rendition of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition

an artist's rendition of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition

The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China will showcase its enchanting scenery, Islamic flavor and profound culture at its 2010 World Expo exhibition, a senior official in charge of Ningxia's participation told a press conference yesterday.

Ningxia will take visitors on a journey through history, exploring the Yellow River's role in breeding Ningxia's civilization, including its grotto art and gold-plated bronze ox, which represent the region, said Zhang Yangqiang, director of Ningxia's Expo 2010 preparatory office.

An interactive section will show visitors how the Yellow River irrigates the arid region and improves the environment, Zhang said.

an artist's rendition of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition

an artist's rendition of Ningxia's Expo 2010 exhibition

There will also be a cultural extravaganza, including a costume show by the ethnic Hui.

Visitors will also be able to envision the future development of 10 Ningxia cities along the Yellow River via a large screen wall.

An Expo-themed forum is scheduled for September 10 in Ningxia's capital city Yinchuang, which will invite experts to discuss how to fuel the development of Ningxia cities to create an "old bank bloc" along the Yellow River.

Xu Wei, spokesman for the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, updated the preparation of the 2010 Expo at the press conference.

Editor: Hu Min

London contributes zero-carbon buildings for Expo

an artist's rendition of the carbon-neutral buildings

an artist's rendition of the carbon-neutral buildings

The City of London is building two 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 Pavilion came from the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), an environmentally friendly housing development near Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton.

an artist's rendition of the interior of the carbon-neutral buildings

BedZED community

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 Pavilion will be situated north of Shanghai's UBPA case on the Puxi side of the Expo site.

Construction started in May.

Expo boulevard horns completed

The six horn-shaped "Sunny Valley" structures that line the 600-meter boulevard that will act as the main entrance to the World Expo 2010 site have been completed.

The 40-meter-high horns will disperse sunshine into the below-ground walkway linking the Metro station and the Expo site and will collect rainfall for watering and cleaning.

More than 50 percent of the 70 million expected visitors will enter the Expo site from the boulevard.

INBAR signs Expo contract

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) will display its efforts in poverty alleviation and sustainable development at the 2010 World Expo.

The China-based organization has signed its participation contract with the organizer to exhibit in a joint pavilion for international organizations under the theme "Bamboo and rattan, human settlements, environment."

It will also showcase its practice in boosting the development of the bamboo and rattan industries and environmental protection.

A total of 40 international organizations have signed contracts so far.

INBAR is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to improving the social, economic, and environmental benefits of bamboo and rattan. INBAR connects a global network of partners from the government, private and not-for-profit sectors in over 50 countries to define and implement a global agenda for sustainable development through bamboo and rattan.

City being pavilion to demonstrate 'city spirits' in film

An official with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination said recently that the "city being" sub-pavilion will adopt an 8-minute film to show the spirits of cities to future visitors.

The official said that the film carries a story line of connecting five city squares around the world together. It will feature Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Uhuru (Freedom) Park in Nairobi, Kenya, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Square in Mumbai, India, Edmonton Square in Edmonton City, Canada and Hanwang Bell Tower Square in Mianzhu City, China, which was built to memorize the devastating Sichuan earthquake on May 12, 2008.

Every square will have a story, representing different aspects of the city spirits, the official said.

"City being" sub-pavilion is one of the five component pavilions of the Expo's Theme Pavilion.

The Hanwang Bell Tower Square in Mianzhu will reflect people's strong spirit in the wake of the earthquake hitting Sichuan. The clock on the bell tower stopped at the time when the earthquake hit at 2:28pm on May 12, 2008.

The film will show the scene of the earthquake and a boy searching for an object attached to his family in debris. During the 80 second episode, the rescue team will appear at the background of the boy, representing people's strength of will.

The episode will be shot in this September. A child survivor will play the role of the boy.

The movie will be shown on a set of 7 screens forming a ring and a ceiling screen with a diameter of about 40 meters, the official said.

The China Academy of Art and Zhejiang Film Studio are making the film, which will be completed by next March.

Jilin starts solicitation of Expo logo, mascot

Jilin Provincial Government's Information Office holds a press conference to start the solicitation of its Expo logo and mascot.

Jilin Provincial Government's Information Office held a press conference on Thursday in provincial capital Changchun City to start the solicitation of designs for its Expo logo and mascot.

The solicitation also seeks items to be exhibited at the Expo 2010 and materials to promote its participation in the event which begins on May 1 in Shanghai.

The logo and mascot should reflect Expo 2010's theme "Better City, Better Life" and Jilin's exhibition theme for the event "Songs and Poems at foot of Changbai Mountain." They should also reflect the concept of "building green cities, enjoying comfortable life" with Jilin's regional characteristics.

The solicitation will end by September 20. The first prize winner for Expo logo design will receive 8,000 yuan (US$1,170); two second prize winners will receive 2,000 yuan each. The office also sets a 12,000 yuan first-place prize for the mascot design winner and 4,000 yuan reward for each of the two second prize winners.

Applicants can call 0431-88580722, 15943056606 and 13624460136 for inquiry or send email to jilinshibo@163.com.

Besides, eight to 10 items will be chosen from the province's industries as exhibition items in the province's display at Expo 2010. Ten to 20 items will be selected from the province's featured products as souvenirs for visitors or gifts to distinguished guests.