Expo 2010, officially
Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the
Huangpu RiverThe Huangpu River is a -long river in China flowing through Shanghai...
in the city of
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
,
ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international
fairA fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s and expositions, the first since 1992. The theme of the exposition was "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city". The Expo
emblemThe Expo 2010 emblem was the official emblem used during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.-Description:The emblem depicts a stylised image of three people representing the concept of you, me and him/her. The three people are holding hands which symbolises the family of mankind...
features the Chinese character 世 ('world', Chinese "shì") modified to represent three people together with the 2010 date. It had the largest number of countries participating and was the most expensive Expo in the history of the world's fairs. The Shanghai World Expo was also the largest World's Fair site ever at 5.28 square km.
By the end of the expo, over 73 million people had visited - a record attendance - and 250 countries and international organizations had participated. On October 16, 2010, the expo set a single-day record of having over 1.03 million visitors enter the exhibition that day.
Early participation and hosting
Shanghai has been one of the main cities envisioned to host the expos for some time. Many scholars have written about the possibility and made suggestions in books. Unofficial participation in fairs outside China have happened since 1851. In 1910 the
Qing dynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
decided to host China's first fair with the
1910 Nanyang industrial expositionThe 1910 Nanyang industrial exposition or more internationally known as the 1910 Nanking Exposition was the official world's fair held in Nanking, Qing China on June 5, 1910.-Name:...
.
Selection process
Shanghai scored the highest in each of the four rounds of voting at the 132nd Meeting of the
Bureau of International ExpositionsThe International Exhibitions Bureau is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions....
in
Prince's Palace of MonacoThe Prince's Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the...
,
Monte CarloMonte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
,
MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, with
YeosuYeosu is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Old Yeosu City, which was founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County were merged into a new city in 1998....
,
South KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
maintaining second place. Yeosu later won the bid to host
Expo 2012Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea is an International Exposition recognized by the Bureau of International Expositions to be held in Yeosu, South Korea from May 12 to August 12, 2012...
, a three-month specialized world expo.
| 132nd Meeting of the Bureau of International Expositions The International Exhibitions Bureau is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions....
December 3, 2002, in Prince's Palace of MonacoThe Prince's Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the...
, Monte CarloMonte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
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ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
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| Yeosu Yeosu is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Old Yeosu City, which was founded in 1949, Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, and Yeocheon County were merged into a new city in 1998....
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| Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
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Organization
The site of the event was the
Nanpu BridgeNanpu Bridge is the name of a station on Shanghai Metro Line 4....
–
Lupu BridgeThe Lupu Bridge , is a through arch bridge over the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, connecting the city's Luwan and Pudong districts. It is the world's second longest arch bridge and steel arch bridge, after the Chaotianmen Bridge in Chongqing. The bridge, which cost 2.5 billion yuan , has a...
region in the center of
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
along both sides of the
Huangpu RiverThe Huangpu River is a -long river in China flowing through Shanghai...
. The area of the Expo 2010 covers 5.28 km
2.
After winning the bid to host the Expo in 2002, Shanghai began a monumental task to reshape the city. More than AU$48billion was spent for the preparation, more than the cost of cleaning up Beijing in the preparations for the Olympics in 2008. Shanghai began clearing 2.6 square kilometres along the Huangpu River; that involved moving 18,000 families and 270 factories, including the Jiang Nan Shipyard, which employs 10,000 workers.
Six new subway lines were opened between 2008 and 2010; four thousand brand new taxis were added in the month before Expo2010 opened and city night lights improved, using energy-saving LED technology.
During the expo, the expo site was crowded with national pavilions, sculpture gardens, shops, a sports arena and clam-shaped performing arts centre.
Shanghai trained more than 1.7 million volunteers and adopted Olympic-level security measures, adding metal detectors to subway entrances and screening cars entering the city.
The Shanghai Expo also featured an online version of the expo grounds featuring 3D renderings of the expo grounds, and a 3D version of the pavilion interior and offerings.
Participation
The Shanghai World Expo provided an unparalleled opportunity for the tourism industry. During 2010’s Spring Festival, Shanghai received 2.79 million tourists, an increase of 12 percent from the previous year, resulting in record high numbers of visitors. Overall Shanghai’s tourism revenue achieved an increase of 13 percent year on year during Spring Festival, resulting in RMB 2.1 billion in total revenue.
192 countries and 50 organizations registered to participate in the Shanghai World Expo. A record number.
Attendance
Over 73 million people visited Expo 2010 during the 184-day event, breaking the previous record of 64 million visitors set by Expo 70 in
Osakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Organizers had expected 70 million visitors at the start of the expo. About 5.8 percent of the visitors, or 4.25 million, were foreigners.
Finances
Shanghai spent 11.964 billion yuan in operating cost to host the event, making it the most expensive World Expo ever, but the organizers still made an operating profit of more than 1 billion yuan (US$157 million) thanks to the record attendance. The total revenue was 13.014 billion yuan, including 7.36 billion yuan in admission fees and almost 4 billion yuan in sponsorship income. However, the city invested another 19.74 billion yuan to prepare and construct the 5.28 square kilometer site, exceeding the budget of 18 billion yuan.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held in the evening of April 30, 2010 attended by dozens of world leaders. The ceremony consisted of an indoor and outdoor component.
Jackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
,
Lang LangLang Lang , born June 14, 1982, in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, is a Chinese concert pianist, currently residing in New York, who has performed with leading orchestras in Europe, the United States and his native China. He is increasingly well known around the world for his concert performances,...
, and
Andrea BocelliAndrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
were among the performers in the indoor component. The event featured an outdoor display of
fireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, lasers, and dancing fountains after a performance by singers and dancers. The outdoor ceremony was produced by
David AtkinsDavid Atkins, OAM was recognised in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours with a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry and is Australia’s most awarded producer, choreographer and director, and CEO of David Atkins Enterprises, a major-events production...
Enterprises. 6,000
LEDLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
balls were floated into the
Huangpu riverThe Huangpu River is a -long river in China flowing through Shanghai...
representing fish. Organisers called the outdoor show "the largest
searchlightA searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
display in history, the largest collection of multi-coloured
laserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
firepower ever assembled in one place, the world’s largest LED screen, one of the largest dancing water fountains ever, and the “largest
light showLight show may refer to:*Aaron Landes* Laser lighting display * Liquid light shows* Christmas lights* Meteor shower* Wizards in Winter Christmas light show...
ever attempted”." President
Hu JintaoHu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
inaugurated the opening of the Shanghai World Expo.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony was held on October 31, 2010, with numerous world leaders in attendance including
Wen JiabaoWen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
, Prime Minister of China, Sri Lanka’s President
Mahinda RajapaksaPercy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
,
Viktor OrbanViktor Orbán is a Hungarian populist and conservative politician and current Prime Minister of Hungary...
, Prime Minister of Hungary,
Mari KiviniemiMari Johanna Kiviniemi is a Finnish politician and former Prime Minister of Finland. On 22 June 2010, as the new leader of the Centre Party, she was elected Prime Minister of Finland by the Finnish Parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen...
, Prime Minister of Finland,
Hubert IngrahamHubert Alexander Ingraham is the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. He first served as Prime Minister from August 1992 until May 2002 and became Prime Minister again in 2007. He is a member of the Free National Movement Party . The Rt. Hon. Hubert A...
, Prime Minister of Bahamas,
Pakalitha MosisiliBethuel Pakalitha Mosisili has been the Prime Minister of Lesotho since May 29, 1998. He led his party, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy , to a near-total victory in the 1998 election, and under his leadership the party also won majorities in the 2002 and 2007 elections...
, Prime Minister of Lesotho,
Ram Baran YadavDr Ram Baran Yadav is the current President of Nepal. He was elected in July 2008 and is the country's first President. He previously served as Minister of Health and as General Secretary of the Nepali Congress party....
, President of Nepal and
Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, General Secretary of the United Nations.
Performances
About 20,000 performances were set to be staged between May 1 and October 31 in 2010, many singers present at the expo song writing and preparation process since 2008. Performers included
Alan TamWing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
,
Gigi LeungGigi Leung Wing-kei is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress.-Biography:Given the name Leung Bik-Zi at birth, at the age of 7 her mother changed her name changed to 'Wing-Kei' for superstitious reasons; as a child, Leung suffered from frequent asthma attacks and it was believed a change of name...
,
Stephanie ChengStephanie Cheng is a female cantopop singer in Hong Kong introduced by Go East Music . She was born in Hong Kong and studied at Heep Yunn College and the Australian International School...
,
Khalil FongKhalil Fong was born on 14 July 1983. He is an American born, Hong Kong-based soul Mandopop singer-songwriter signed to the Warner Music Hong Kong.-Biography:...
,
Hacken LeeHacken Lee Hak Kan is an award winning Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and lyricist, actor, Master of Ceremonies and Association football sportscaster.-Early years: 1985-1995:...
,
Denise HoDenise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.-1996-2001:Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong and received her education in Canada and Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Hong Kong. She emigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec at the age of 11. She studied and graduated High...
,
Hins CheungHins Cheung is a Cantopop singer and songwriter in Hong Kong. He studied and graduated from the Guangzhou City 7th Secondary School. He is now under contract with Universal Records.He is 175 cm tall. In 2008, he performed at the S.U.C.C.E.S.S...
,
Vincy ChanVincy Chan is a Hong Kong cantopop singer. Before the handover of 1997 when Hong Kong was returned from Great Britain to China, her family left Hong Kong and went to Singapore when she was a child. She was signed by Emperor Entertainment Group, and debuted with the album Vincy on 27 July 2006.She...
, National Boys Choir of Australia, the
Cross Border Orchestra of IrelandThe Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland is one of Ireland's primary youth orchestras. Based at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in County Louth, the CBOI maintains a membership of 160 young musicians between the ages of 12 and 24 years from both sides of the border.-History:The CBOI was...
and the
Harvard Din & TonicsThe Harvard Din & Tonics are a five-part jazz a cappella group from Harvard University, founded in 1979.- History :The group was founded in 1979 as a public service project of the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, performing for the university...
.
Theme songs
- The official theme songs of the Expo were "City" by Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and "Better City, Better Life" by Quincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
.
- The promotional song of the Expo was "Right Here Waiting for You 2010
"Right Here Waiting for You 2010" was a promotional song for Expo 2010 Shanghai China, composed by Miao Sen . It was first released in the 30-day countdown on April 1, 2010....
" . Released during the 30-day countdown on April 1, it was originally written by a Japanese singer, Mayo Okamotois a Japanese female pop singer-songwriter. Her 1995 debut single "Tomorrow" peaked at number 1 on the Oricon weekly single charts. She released her greatest hits album Rise 1 in 2000...
. Okamoto's agency announced that the Expo Committee requested the permission of the use of the song, and Okamoto's management agreed.
- The theme song for Shanghai World Expo volunteers was "By Your Side" by Eason Chan
Eason Chan Yik-shun is a prominent male singer in Hong Kong's music industry. Undoubtedly one of the most dominant male singers in the post-1997 era of Hong Kong music industry. Eason Chan has been praised by Time magazine as a front runner in the next generation of Cantopop...
.
- The theme song for the Shanghai World Expo for the Chinese culture was "The World Watching China", sung by Korean/Chinese singer Han Geng.
- The theme song for Norway was "Powered By Nature" which was composed by Rolf Løvland
Rolf Løvland is a Norwegian composer. Together with Fionnuala Sherry, he formed the celtic group Secret Garden, where he played as the composer/producer/keyboardist...
and performed by his group Secret GardenSecret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
. The song was recorded for their 2011 album Winter PoemWinter Poem is the 2011 and the 7th album by Secret Garden.Primarily an instrumental album, it features three songs with guest vocals: Moya Brennan of Clannad fame on "The Dream", Fionnuala Gill on "Mary’s Lament", and Tracey Campbell and Espen Grjotheim on "Powered By Nature".The lyrics to "Mary’s...
.
Mascot
HaibaoHaibao , meaning "jewel of the sea", is the mascot of Expo 2010, which was held in the city of Shanghai, China from May 1 to October 31, 2010.-Meaning:...
was the mascot of the Shanghai Expo 2010. It means treasure of the sea and was based on the Chinese character for man or person, "人". Some said that Haibao resembles
GumbyGumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media...
, but the expo's secretariat said that it was an original design chosen through a competition and that they had never heard of Gumby.
Expo Axis
The main building – called "
Expo AxisThe Expo Axis is one of the world's largest membrane roof, which spans the entrance and boulevard building of the World Exposition 2010 in Shanghai....
" – has the world's largest membrane construction and was built by SBA (architects) and
Knippers HelbigKnippers Helbig Advanced Engineering is an engineering firm based in Stuttgart and New York City. It was founded in 2001 by Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers and Dipl. Ing. Thorsten Helbig and specialises in structural design of German and international construction projects involving high-rise buildings,...
(structural engineers). The building consists of some steel-glass funnels with a long membrane construction. The main construction was completed at the end of 2009.
Theme pavilions
There were five central theme pavilions at the Expo 2010, exploring different aspects of urban development. They were called Urban Footprints, Urban Planet, Urbanian, City Being, and Urban Future.
National pavilions
National pavilions included:
Algeria,
Angola,
Argentina,
Australia,
Austria,
Bangladesh,
Belarus,
Belgium,
Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Brazil,
Brunei,
Canada,
Cambodia,
Chile,
ChinaThe China pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, colloquially known as the Oriental Crown , was the largest national pavilion at the Shanghai Expo and the largest display in the history of the World Expo. It was also the most expensive pavilion at the Shanghai Expo costing an estimated US$220...
,
Colombia,
Costa Rica,
Croatia,
Cuba,
Czech Republic,
Denmark,
Egypt,
Estonia,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
Greece,
Hong Kong,
Hungary,
Iceland,
India,
Indonesia,
Iran,
Ireland,
Israel,
Italy,
Japan,
Jordan,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia,
Lebanon,
Libya,
Lithuania,
Luxembourg,
Macau,
Macedonia,
Malaysia,
Malta,
Mexico,
Monaco,
Mongolia,
Morocco,
Myanmar,
Nepal,
Netherlands,
New Zealand,
Nigeria,
North Korea,
Norway,
Oman,
Pacific Pavilion,
Pakistan,
Peru,
Philippines,
Poland,
Portugal,
Romania,
Russia,
Saudi Arabia,
Serbia,
Singapore,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
South Africa,
South Korea,
Spain,
Sri Lanka,
SwedenThe Sweden pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo is situated in Zone C of the Pudong Expo site, surrounded by other Nordic and European country pavilions. The 3000 square-meter pavilion is designed by Swedish architectural firm Sweco according to the Swedish theme of “The Spirit of Innovation”...
,
Switzerland,
Taiwan,
Thailand,
Timor-Leste,
Tunisia,
Turkey,
Turkmenistan,
Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom,
United StatesThe USA Pavilion at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China was one of the last of the 192 participating countries to sign-up for involvement with the Expo 2010.-Attendance:...
,
Uruguay,
Uzbekistan,
Venezuela,
Vietnam
and Yemen.
Corporate pavilions
Corporate pavilions included: Aurora Pavilion,
BroadBroad Group is a private company based in Changsha, China. Since 1996, it has been the global leader in manufacturing central air conditioning non-electric absorption chillers, which is powered by natural gas and waste heat, and currently exports its products to over 60 countries...
Pavilion, China Railway, China State Shipbuilding Corporation Pavilion,
Coca-ColaCoca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
Pavilion, Cisco Pavilion, Information and Communication Pavilion, Oil Pavilion, Japanese Industry, PICC, Private Enterprises Joint Pavilion, Republic of Korea Business, SAIC-GM Pavilion, Shanghai Corporate Joint Pavilion, Space Pavilion, Space Home Pavilion, State Grid and Vanke Pavilion.
International organisations
The Expo also included a pavilion for the Red Cross and Red Crescent and several others.
Urban Best Practice Area pavilions
The Expo also included Chinese displays about Hong Kong and Ningbo.
Legacy
The Expo introduced numerous urban best practices and concepts from all over the world which the organisers hope will be a lasting legacy for better urban life in China and around the world. It advocated for future development to focus on environmental sustainability, efficiency and diversity. The innovations and achievements of the event were summarised in the Shanghai Declaration issued by the participants of the Expo. The declaration also nominated the Shanghai Expo’s closing day October 31 as "World Better Cities Day".
United Nations Secretary-GeneralThe Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
stated at the closing of the Expo, "Thanks to this Expo, millions of people learned about possibilities for making our cities healthier and safer, cities that better integrate nature and technology, cities that offer their citizens cleaner air and water, and better lives all around".
The
Bureau of International ExpositionsThe International Exhibitions Bureau is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions....
(BIE) and the Shanghai government have announced plans to construct the world's only official World Expo Museum in Shanghai, on the Puxi side of the expo site. Construction will begin in 2012 and is expected to be completed by 2015. More than 200 participants from Expo 2010 have donated over 30,000 exhibits to the future museum. The BIE has added into its formal requirements that all future Expo bidders shall support the new Expo Museum.
The Shanghai Expo was touted by the
Chinese governmentAll power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
as yet another first-rate global scale event, similar in significance to the
Beijing OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, which would symbolise the economic and political rise of China in the 21st century. The event would demonstrate to both the Chinese populace and foreign nations the enormous progress of China's urban development in the heart of the nation's economic hub of Shanghai. The event received extensive media coverage in the
Chinese mediaMedia of the People's Republic of China primarily consists of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since 2000, the Internet has also emerged as an important communications medium....
both in the lead up and during the World Expo. According to China analyst Tom Doctoroff, “In terms of what the city was able to achieve, the Chinese were impressed. Shanghai stepped up a level in internationalization”. Although the event was widely recognised domestically, the Expo was less effective in reaching a global audience. This was reflected by the fact that less than 5% of the Expo's 73 million visitors were foreign.
Controversies
A number of controversies surrounding the Shanghai Expo existed. Some involving domestic issues while others involve other countries that participated in the Expo. The issues range from human rights, politics or responses from the government at the time of the hosting of the Expo.
See also
- 2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
- Urbanization in the People's Republic of China
- Metropolitan regions of China
According to research by the of the People's Republic of China, ten major metropolitan regions are forming in China. Together, they constitute about one-tenth of China's land area, one-third of the country's population and one-half of the country's GDP...
- Tourism in China
Tourism in China has greatly expanded over the last few decades since the beginning of reform and opening. The emergence of a newly rich middle class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of the world's...
- Shanghai New International Expo Center
The Shanghai New International Expo Centre is an exhibition center in Shanghai, China. It hosts various exhibitions, including the Shanghai Motor Show. It has also hosted the 2002 Tennis Masters Cup, where one of the halls was temporarily converted into a tennis court.Construction started on...
External links
Chinese