Though relentlessly promoted in Shanghai, the World Expo does not appeal much to me. In the information age, learning about other countries and cultures can be achieved in various ways other than going to see some type of affair. It can be equally done by searching on the Internet or travelling to those countries directly.
Despite a lack of interest, I did visit the Expo twice as a member of group activities organized by my school. Physical experiences might be common to many people: hot summer weather, long queues, immense crowds, and exhausted legs. Intellectual gains, however, may vary due to individual perceptions and interests.
First visit: June 8
Route: Take No. 5 Subway at Dongchuan Rd. à Xinzhuang, transfer to No. 1 subway à Changshu Rd., transfer to No. 7 Subway à Changqing Rd. (Group admission gate)
Time on the subway: about one hour and 15 minutes
Number of visitors: about 510,900
Time of admission: 10:00am
路线：地铁5号线 东川路站 à 莘庄（换乘1号线）à 常熟路站（换乘7号线）
à 长清路站（长清路东侧团队入口处）
地铁所需时间：约1小时15分钟
当日入园人数：51.09万人
入园时间：10:am
This visit was organized by my school. One could choose one from several days based on his own schedule and preference. I and most people in my office settled on June 8 mainly because we had expected there would be fewer visitors. June 7th and 8th are days of the national college entrance exam, thus many families with a high school graduate would be fully engaged in their child’s big days. This was true, but we ignored another fact – those students in the first and second grades, who did not take the exam, had the days free. This meant many of them would probably take the opportunity to visit the Expo. As a result, contrary to what had been expected, we ran into one of the most crowded days.
The weather was hot too: bright summer sunshine heating the ground where newly- planted trees, in fact “seedlings” would be a more proper description, were too small to give any real shade. I spent the day with four colleagues. We decided to balance our choices to see: some smaller ones that do not have long waiting lines, and some so-called “popular” ones that have better displays but longer time to wait for admission.
I visited five pavilions in total:
(1) New Zealand
Admission was quick, taking only about 5 minutes waiting in line and 10 minutes to see. With a theme of “Cities of Nature: Living between Land and Sky” (自然之城：生活在天地之间), the pavilion highlights forestry and daily urban life. The most striking is an 8-ton natural jade stone that visitors can touch. What impressed me most was that right at the entrance a group of ship builders worked on carving a wooden ship. Inside the pavilion, most are electronic screens showing the natural scenery and daily urban life of the country, which to me was not as attractive as real objects.
(2) Slovakia
Waiting time was about 30 minutes. The theme is “The World of Human Beings” (人类的世界). The pavilion has its inside wall shaped in an arch, which symbolizes the development of the human history. There are traditional furniture, art works and clothes on display. Besides, video screens are projected onto the wall, presenting a dynamic presentation of Slovakian life.
Sculpture in the Slovakia Pavilion
(3) France
Waiting time was about one hour. The theme is the “Sensual City” (感性城市). Many visitors came here to see the authentic copy of seven famous paintings. In fact there are more than that – French perfumes, robots, movie clips, and expensive cuisines, all appealing to the human senses. What I liked most was the garden-type design of the building, which forms a circle and forms a courtyard in the center. The roof and the courtyard are all covered by plants, which, along with water ponds and fountains, provide pleasant coolness in the hot summer.
Green Plants Decorating the French Pavilion
(4) Spain
Waiting time was about 1 hour. The theme is “From the City of Our Parents to the City of Our Children” (我们世代相传的城市).
The pavilion is my favorite for several reasons. First of all, it has a unique shape, like a basket and made of wicker panels. The brown color conveys a sense of simplicity and tradition. Second, its display is well-designed and enriching: the screens are not simply the wall, but rather a huge rock-like background full of passion and vigor. Dynamic images of the Spanish history, geography and modern life are projected.
Like many people, I was most attracted by the giant baby robot at the entrance. Named Small Miguelin and 6.5-meter tall, the cute baby can change its facial expressions and gestures – laughing, blinking and waving – no less vividly and lively than a real human being! Surrounding him are colorful soap bubbles floating in the air and creating a mini fairyland.
Spain Pavilion Small Miguelin (Robot Baby)
(From Expo Homepage)
(5) Germany
Germany was one of the most acclaimed pavilions, so obviously it took a long time to enter. Incredibly I had such great patience as waiting in the endless zigzag for 3 hours.
The theme is “Balancity,” meaning “Balanced City” (和谐都市). There are something interesting indeed provided. The most sensational was shouting at the “Origin of Energy”, a large metal ball that floats in a direction towards the side of spectators who shout at louder noise and greater movements. On the surface of the ball are LED displays of the earth and natural life. Another impressive section is the Factory and Depot House, which showcases the country’s technology and manufacturing achievements.
Factory and Depot House
Origin of Energy Origin of Energy
During the entire stay in the Expo park (from 10:00am to 7:30pm), I did not have a chance to sit down and have a break. I was exhausted after going back home. It took several days for me to regain normal-level physical energy.
Second visit: June 30
Route: Same as in 1st visit
Time on the subway: Similar to 1st visit
Number of visitors: about 427,900
Time of admission: 5:30pm (Evening admission, 90 Ruan)
路线：同第一次
地铁所需时间：同第一次
当日入园人数：42.79万人
入园时间：5:30pm （夜票，90元）
The second visit was an activity of the CCP party members in my office. My group proposed a lecture series to graduate students and won an award from the school. To reward ourselves, we decided to have a boat cruise on the Huangpu River from the Pu Dong section to the Pu Xi section.
(1) Romania
The Romania pavilion is designed as a Green Apple, similar to the logo of the Apple computer with a piece bit off, except that the color is different. I love the young fresh green.
As our major agenda at Romania pavilion was to have dinner, we did not have time to enjoy the building and the displays. Nevertheless, the restaurant did provide interesting folk dance and wine culture through their LED screens on the wall. The dinner was not bad, and I especially liked the fish and the red wine.
Romania Pavilion (From Expo Homepage)
(2) Ferry
When we arrived at the dock at about 7:30, we found that the cruise was too expensive. To save money, we decided to take the free ferry for a sightseeing of the metropolitan night along the river and some pavilions in the Pu Xi section.
The ferry ride took only about 15 minutes. I was exhilarated to see the Lu Pu Bridge (卢浦大桥), which spans the Huangpu River like a rainbow. The lights on the bridge change flexibly, creating a colorful arc-shaped design.
(3) Pavilions in Pu Xi
It was about 8:30pm, when we decided to see some pavilions. We had a quick look at the Pavilion of Footprint (城市足迹馆), which demonstrates the development of cities around the world with pictures, sculptures, electronic images, etc.
We also visited the State Grid Pavilion (国家电网馆), which has a theme of “Innovation Ignites Dreams” (创新，点亮梦想). It creates a “magic” feel through a unique design of lighting in the mysterious background of darkness. In addition, visitors can experience various forms of energy (electricity) such as thundering, lightning and earthquakes, with the help of dynamic motion and sound effects.
After that, it was too late to enter any more pavilions. We just walked around, enjoying chatting and the night view. The Oil Pavilion and the Coca-Cola Pavilion have beautiful light designs, the former in changeable colors, and the latter featuring a tall Coca-Cola bottle.
City Footprints State Grid Pavilion
Oil Pavilion Oil Pavilion
Coca-Cola Pavilion
The pavilions put on quite different looks in the evening from in the day. But for me who live quite far from downtown, evening visits are hard for traffic reasons. On the way back, I took No. 4 subway, and then transferred to No.1 line. When I arrived at Xin Zhuang (莘庄), No.5 subway service has ended. I had to take a taxi back home.
After two visits, I don’t think I will go to the Expo again, unless really necessary. It is too physically demanding and time-consuming in consideration of the burning summer heat and the long travel distance.
