Cultural Exchanges Continue in Post-Expo Era

The World Expo Shanghai 2010 is a brand new chapter in the history of China’s modernization. The expo is a huge stage for diverse cultures to come together. After the expo， cultural exchanges will continue in an all-round way. What China has learned from the expo as a big display stage for cultures from all over the world will help China to make new progress. Friendship， environmental protection， scientific innovation， and sustainable development will highlight the future growth of China and help the oriental country merge better with the world and make contribution to the global peace and prosperity.

China Pavilion

China Pavilion will continue to tower on the Huangpu River after the half-year-long expo in Shanghai comes to an end on October 31.

It will stay for a number of very good reasons. It is China’s very first world expo in the 159-year history of the world expo and the pavilion marks this historic event.

The pavilion signifies the Chinese culture. It looks like a crown and features the color China Red. The red represents the five-millennium Chinese civilization and highlights the reform and opening up to the outside world over the past 30 some years. Song Jianming， a professor with Hangzhou-based China Academy of Art who has specialized in coloration for nearly 30 years， remarks that China Red on the China pavilion is actually a combination of seven kinds of red. The different reds constitute a harmony but represent no uniformity. These reds signify the modern， the graceful， and the conventional. As a whole， they combine to convey typical Chinese emotions such as happiness， celebration， good luck， joy， and harmony. These emotions chime in with the world expo’s philosophy of Comprehension， Communication， Gathering and Cooperation.

The exhibits at China Pavilion are designed to signify the beneficial relation between the Chinese culture and China’s future development. The animated Chinese masterpiece “Qingming Festival by the Riverside” and other exhibits win the applause of visitors.

The Expo Garden

In the Puxi section of the expo garden are a large number of old factories that were revamped for the purpose of the expo. For example， China State Shipbuilding Corporation Pavilion is housed in an old factory building of Jiangnan Shipyard founded in 1865， one of the earliest modern factories in China. A large part of the Puxi section used to be home to the earliest factories of Chinese industry. While still in the planning phase of the World Expo， the planners strove to reserve all the buildings in the site.

After the expo， the Puxi part of the expo garden will be home to a group of museums that highlight the early growth of China’s modern industry. The Jiangnan Shipyard will become a park.

The elevated pedestrians walk and four pavilions will stay as perpetual landmarks. The rest of the expo garden will be redesigned for further development. The garden will be taken into consideration while the city formulates its 12th Five-Year Plan and finds more uses for the site for the city’s development.

Low-Carbon Life

Low-carbon technology and environmental protection highlight the World Expo Shanghai 2010. These valuable concepts will be carried on in the post-expo era in China. China pavilion displays some concept cars that use wind energy and solar energy. A battery-powered car can travel 135 kilometers after one recharge. The total expo garden uses a large quantity of solar energy systems which add up to 4.5 megawatts. More than 1，000 new-energy automobiles work together as a transporting system. New energy-efficient and environmentally friendly materials are adopted in the garden. These new materials will find their way into commercial applications across the country.

New Ideas

In the post-expo era， exploring new concepts of urban development will continue under the influence of this expo. Exploration and discussion will deepen. Lessons and experiences will be carefully examined and studied and absorbed. Results will be applied to urban management and planning. The remaining buildings， sites and creative ideas will be part of the future of Shanghai.

While meeting with His Majesty Letsie III of Lesotho on October 3， 2010， Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said that the city was soliciting suggestions and advice on applying positive results of the expo to the future development of the metropolis. The mayor said the city was planning to build an expo museum to keep the best of the expo for ever.

Friendship

Before the World Expo opened its door to visitors， nobody had expected the popularity of African Joint Pavilion. By May 19， the pavilion had welcomed its 1 millionth visitor. On July 27， the pavilion had seen the arrival of its 10 millionth visitor. African Joint Pavilion keeps the expo garden’s record for the largest number of visitors for a single pavilion. By the end of the World Expo on October 31， the number will have passed 20 million.

The joint pavilion is composed of 42 African nations and Africa League. When the members became aware of the possibility that their pavilion might be the first in the garden to receive 10 million visitors， they became excited. The 43 members organized a committee to coordinate events at the pavilion. They went through dozens of brainstorms and got a general plan.

While applying for the right to host the world expo in Shanghai， China pledged 100 million US dollars to help developing countries to participate in the world expo. Never did previous world expo have so many developing countries in the history of world expo.

The World Expo Shanghai 2010 gave China an opportunity to promote cultural exchanges and cultural diversity. After the expo， cultural dialogues will continue. National days of the pavilions saw national leaders visit the expo. Events take place on various venues across the expo garden. Moreover， cultural dialogues take place beyond the garden. The expo organizers set up events to enable foreign guests to visit more than 100 residential communities that fringe the expo garden. □