Lisa: Your Local Tour Guide in SHanghai - on SHownbylocals.com

The UK pavilion will be a visual demonstration of the UK as a creative and innovative nation. The pavilion will be one of the largest occupying 6000 square meters of space. The centerpiece of the UK pavilion is a six storey high object formed from some 60,000 slender transparent rods, which extend from the structure and quiver in the breeze. During the day, each of the 7.5m long rods act like fibre-optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior, thereby creating a contemplative awe-inspiring space. At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod allow the whole structure to glow. The pavilion sits on a landscape looking like paper that once wrapped the building and that now lies unfolded on the site. The whole structure will look like an unwrapped gift, meant as a show of goodwill to the Chinese people and the Shanghai Expo. Britain will also embed more than 60,000 seeds into the structure of its pavilion to urge people to protect natural species from extinction. The seeds demonstrate the concept of sustainability, the diversity of nature and urge people to protect the environment for future generations.

Flying kites on a warm sunny day is a favorite activity for children all across the world. At the World Expo Shanghai next year, those sweet childhood memories can be recalled at the Mexico Pavilion.

People will see no building, but a 4,000-square-meter area covered in grass with hundreds of colorful Mexican kites flying in the sky.

Visitors can read a book, have a picnic or simply relax on the grass under the shade of the kites. They can also buy a traditional Mexican-style kite from the pavilion and fly it to recall the fun of their childhoods.

You can even learn how to make a unique Mexican kite as the souvenir.

The country’s pavilion will be a “Kite Forest.”

It will be a green slope with a total of 135 kites being flown over it. Seen from afar it will look there are hundreds of people flying kites together.

The kites, to be made in eco-friendly plastic, will be in red, pink, yellow, green and blue, to make the pavilion one of the most colorful Expo exhibits. The kites will be about 8 meters long and 4 meters wide, larger than normal kites, and supported by poles each 3 meters to 13 meters tall.

Construction began yesterday on the pavilion and a dozen children from Mexico and China planted colorful Mexican kites on the top of poles on the foundations of the pavilion to celebrate the ground-breaking.

Kites represent the idea of flying and are the strength that unites the Mexican and Chinese cultures, said Eduardo Seldner, commissioner general of the Mexico Pavilion.

The kite originated in China and is popular in Mexico.

The name for kite in Mexican is nahuatl, which also means butterfly.

The design envisions a future with spaces specifically planned, thought and designed for relaxation, as well as recovery of parks and green areas, where new generations may find themselves in a city that offers them a better life, said Edgar Ramirez, the pavilion’s architect.

“The square is the heart of the pavilion. It is the representation of the future vision for the kids from Mexico,” Seldner said.

However, the pavilion will be more than a square for fun. The exhibition area will be a two-story area under the square.

The pavilion will showcase Mexico’s culture, landscapes, cities and the ancient Maya civilization.

Some cultural relics of the Maya will be exhibited.

Once inside the main exhibition area, visitors will be taken on a chronological journey through the history of Mexico from the pre-Hispanic era to proposals for the future, the commissioner general said.

The Italian pavilion will be a rectangular shape, laced with intersecting lines that seen from above, resembles the start of the Chinese game pick-up-sticks, also known in Italy as the Shanghai Game, where a number of sticks are thrown in a random pile. The 3,600-square-meter structure comprises 20 functional modules of different shapes, bounded by the “sticks.” Each module represents one of Italy’s 20 regions, thereby making the entire pavilion embody a mini Italian city. The modules can be reassembled freely. After the Expo, the building will be disassembled and reconfigured. The pavilion will also make use of a cutting-edge construction material known as transparent concrete. The design also represents the harmony of different cultures and regions. When people walk in the pavilion, they will feel like walking in a city that combines Shanghai’s Shikumen-style lanes and an Italian square. Moreover, the form also highlights the topographic complexity of Italian cities, with its numerous short narrow roads and alleys which suddenly open onto a large square, a characteristic which can also be found in the traditional Chinese urban centers. A psychoanalytical effect of comfort is given by an internal garden, the presence of water and natural light which spreads throughout the area across the patios and by the walls.

The 6,000-square-meter Canada Pavilion, among the biggest at the site, will feature an exhibition themed “The Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative.” The pavilion is about the size of two-and-a-half NHL ice hockey rinks and has an open air public space as its centre piece. The square will be a performing area, where visitors can watch the performances of Cirque du Soleil before checking out the pavilion. Canada has also given environmental protection consideration into the pavilion. Part of the pavilion’s exterior walls will be covered by a special kind of greenery and rainwater will be collected by a drainage system for use inside the pavilion. This touch of green also represents Canda’s natural beauty and resources. Cirque du Soleil created the concept design for the Canada Pavilion and will also create public performances, organize cultural programs and develop strategic corporate alliances for the pavilion. The Canada Pavilion hopes to welcome more than 5.5 million visitors over its 6-month exhibition period and will be a showcase to the world for Canadian culture, advanced technology and urban development.

A DECISION by Chile President Michelle Bachelet in May to build a 2,500-square-meter Chile Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo rather than renting a pavilion from the organizer as planned has made the Latin America country a focus among all the Expo participants.

The stand-alone pavilion will cost Chile more than US$6 million, quintupling that of the cost to rent a pavilion. The Shanghai Expo organizer rents pavilions to participants for about 4,000 yuan (US$585) per square meter.

The global financial crisis has not dampened Chile’s enthusiasm for the Expo. On the contrary, it is increasing its investment, because President Bachelet sees the 2010 event as a “long-term investment for its relationship with China,” said Hernan Somerville, Chile’s commissioner general.

The president was one of the main supporters for the country’s Expo showcase, and he will come to Shanghai at the end of November to oversee preparations.

President Bachelet has said that it is of key significance for Chile to participate in Expo because it will be the most important event in the world in 2010, Somerville said.

“The cultural and business exchanges between Chile and China will be the best gift to celebrate Chile’s Bicentennial on September 18, 2010,” he added.

Somerville said the preparations are “totally on schedule” and the pavilion will be completed by the end of the year.

The only South American country to commit to its own pavilion also pledged to make the pavilion one of the best. “The Chile Pavilion will be second only to the China Pavilion,” Somerville said.

The pavilion, which will be named “The Seed of the New City,” will be constructed of merging cylinders in silver and brown and will feature a roof garden.

The main theme of the pavilion will be “exchanges among people around the world.”

Visitors will pass through three areas in the pavilion, representing the three stages to understand the theme.

In the first area, they will watch a video about urban life around the world. Some urban problems that are shared, such as the environment and work stress, will be highlighted.

The second part will be the key of the pavilion, where visitors enter a huge seed. The solutions to urban problems will be displayed.

In the third area, Chileans from all walks of life will talk with visitors to discuss their daily lives.

The country’s mysterious Eastern Island and its ancient Inca culture will also be exhibited at the Expo.

At Expo Seville in Spain in 1992, the Chile Pavilion exhibited a piece of millenary ice in the 40 degrees Celsius weather, which amazed visitors.

At the Shanghai event next year, Chile will attract visitors with three special wells. People will be able to look into the wells in the pavilion in Shanghai to see scenes and hear the sounds of some Chilean cities on the opposite side of the earth.

Another three wells will be built in three Chile cities. Chilean people will also be able to see the scenes in the Chile Pavilion in Shanghai. People in both countries, therefore, will be able to greet each other. It will be like people can see through the earth, Somerville said.

The Chile Expo team is planning to build a duplicate of its Expo pavilion in Chile, where the landscape and scenery of China and Asia will be displayed.

“China is a long distance from Chile, and Expo will be the best opportunity to bring people of both countries together,” Somerville said.

The duplicate will be permanent and will remind Chilean people of the Shanghai Expo as a symbol of friendship between the nations, he said.

India’s exhibition will be called “Cities of Harmony,” focusing on the integration between urban and rural regions through trade and services. Visitors to the Shanghai Expo pavilion will be led on a journey of Indian cities from the past to the present day.

The dome will be used as a 360-degree screen to tell different stories about life in cities through the ages. It will also be energy efficient with the use of solar panels and wind power.

Herbs will grow on the dome and bamboo will form part of the structure. The pavilion will feature a shopping arcade where people from various regions of India will be demonstrating and selling a wide variety of products. There will also be a food plaza with provide traditional Indian delicacies at the China Expo pavilion.

The main dome structure of the pavilion has been designed to handle an average of 450 visitors every 20 minutes, said Naidu. The pavilion will cost about US$9 million.

t will be a three-story 600-square-meter metallic-colored structure beside the 20,000-square-meter China Pavilion, known as the “Crown of the East.”

The second floor of the pavilion will be transparent. The pavilion will symbolize the imagination and creativity of Hong Kong people, said Ng Hon Wing, director of the pavilion.

The pavilion will feature an indoor wetland park on the third floor replicating the Hong Kong Wetland Park in downtown Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, which opened in 2006.

Famous Hong Kong pop stars will be around the pavilion during Expo and visitors will able to talk and take photos with them.

The special administrative region will explore the theme “Hong Kong - the Infinite City” with a focus on its urban transport network, advanced scientific facilities, financial and trade systems, multinational culture and sustainable high-quality urban life.

Hong Kong will make its Expo presentation with the 30 provinces and municipalities on the Chinese mainland. The exhibitions of the national participants will be in a joint pavilion around the China Pavilion, and there will be separate pavilions will be arranged for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Each of them will be 600 square meters.

Hong Kong will also showcase its multifunctional smart card as an Urban Best Practice Area for the Expo.

Its “Smart Card, Smart City, Smart Life” will let visitors experience the life style that Hong Kong residents enjoy using smart cards for public transport, car parking, shopping and entertainment.

The region will also demonstrate how it promotes the smart card to residents.

Spain unveiled a basket-like design for its national pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai as the country signed a participation contract with organizers yesterday.

The Spain Pavilion will have a steel structure and a wicker cover. Spanish handcrafters will weave out different patterns by using different colors of wicker, said Benedetta Tagliabue, designer of the pavilion.

The wicker will be covered by a special material that is water-proof. It will also keep the pavilion at a comfortable temperature, said Tagliabue.

With sunshine penetrating through the wicker, visitors will be able to enjoy a nice walk in the open air, the designer said.

“Spain has a very long history in making wicker-weaving products. We know that China has that kind of handicraft too. So we thought this was something we had in common,” said Tagliabue.

Also, the pavilion of course is very strong, she said. The designers have considered the possibility of bad weather during the Expo period such as typhoons or the summer Plum Rain season, said Tagliabue.

The Spanish government is going to invest 1.8 million euros (US$2.6 million) in the pavilion, said Javier Conde de Saro, Spain’s commissioner general for World Expo Shanghai.

The pavilion, with a total floor area of 8,500 square meters, will have both open squares for cultural performances and an indoor area for exhibitions and cafeterias.

Conde de Saro said Spanish organizers may bring unique Spanish cultural events to the Expo, possibly flamenco dancing, and hopefully the performance venue will not be limited to the Spanish pavilion.

Taiwan has been formally invited to take part in the Shanghai world expo, Taiwan External Trade Development Association president Wang Chih-kang nnounced yesterday. owing a letter of invitation at a hastily called press conference, the Taitra chief said a Taiwan Pavilion will be erected for China’s first ever world exposition from May 1 through October 31 next year.

“It will be the first time we are participating in a world expo in 40 years,” Wang said.

The last expo Taiwan took part in was held in Japan in 1970. Taipei still maintained diplomatic relations with Tokyo then.

When two more expos took place in Japan after Tokyo switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Taiwan was represented at neither. But more than half a million people from Taiwan visited the Nagoya Expo in 2005.

The letter was received in Taipei at 6 a.m. “We are very much satisfied,” Wang said, “that Taiwan has been invited to attend.”

Wang is equally satisfied that the Taiwan Pavilion will be located in an area that is the easiest to access in the vast 2010 Shanghai Expo compound opposite the world-renowned Bund across the Huangpu River.

“Ours is next door to the China Pavilion, which is going to be the top attraction of Shanghai Expo,” Wang said. The Taiwan Pavilion will be in Area A, that is assigned to Asian countries. Its neighbor pavilions will be erected by Nepal, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan.

Altogether NT$1 billion (US$30 million) is needed to build the Taiwan Pavilion, Wang said. “We’ll raise it by asking for contributions from big businesses,” he added.

At least one of them has already committed himself. He is Terry Guo, chairman of the Hon Hai group who has pledged NT$300 million (US$990,000) for construction of a Taipei pavilion as part of the Taiwan Pavilion.

A total of 190 countries will be represented at the 2010 expo. Forty-eight international organizations will also take part.

“Shanghai Expo,” Wang said, “offers the best chance to our businesses to sell their products and services.” Tens of millions of people all over the world will visit the six-month world exposition.

Expo-goers from Taiwan may total one million.

Moreover, Taipei is planning to hold a “flower exposition” in the half year during the Expo to attract visitors to Shanghai to come to Taiwan.

Poland has unveiled the architectural design for its national pavilion in World Expo Shanghai 2010, presenting a geometrical structure covered with paper-cutting pattern.

The design of the 3,000-square-meter Poland Pavilion is the winning entry chosen from 20 candidates in the designing competition.

“We’ve tried to analyze the functional qualities of the pavilion designs, primarily the aesthetics, the concept and color,” said Anna Kaminska, commissioner general of the Polish section.

During daytime, the exhibition hall will be filled with light filtering through paper-cutting patterns. And at night, the pavilion will shine with different colors.

An extending roof of the pavilion will create an open-air restaurant and a shelter to shadow the visitors queuing outside the pavilion.

The exhibition area will be divided into several sections for small expositions, concerts and shops.

Poland signed the participation contract with the Expo organizers last November and said it will showcase a theme mainly focuses on their famous composer Frederic Chopin.

“Chopin is more than a composer, he represents the nature of the Polish nation, but we will have a very modern interpretation on his masterpieces,” said Kaminska.