Shanghai Expo to Open on May 1st

First Day of Trails at the Gates of the Expo


China is making headway as a world superpower with the 2010 Shanghai Expo to open May 1st and run until Oct 31st. This 184 day expo in China is the first expo hosted in a developing country and is expected to have 70 million visitors. The concept behind the expo is "Better City, Better Life" and is the largest world's fair to date.

Unfortunately the Expo trails, http://en.expo2010.cn/a/20100421/000001.htma preview for 200,000 Shanghai residents, was a disappointment for many. The food was overpriced and there were extremely long lines at every attraction. Many visitors said that it was uncomfortable and inconvenient, making it difficult to appreciate, or even see, the few pavilions that were open for trials. Before the opening days China will strive to make adjustments in time to be fully prepared for the crowds on opening day. The ten-day trial run gave a sneak-preview to Shanghai's newest building projects and China's pavilion, the main attraction.

Most countries will be showcasing their most recent developments including Iran, Korea and Myanmar.

Iran's pavilion features architecture inspired by ancient Iranian art and modern Islamic life. The building is themed "Blending Diverse Cultures in the City" and divides the pavilion into three parts: Iran's past, present and future. The consul-general of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Shanghai stated that Iran hopes that China will see the two nation's similarities and the expo will help build a relationship between Iran and China.

Directly next to Iran's pavilion is North Korea's pavilion themed "Prosperous Pyongyang". Pyongyang literally means "flat land" and is the name of the nation's first capital city. This will be the first time North Korea has participated in a world expo. With this said their pavilion's architecture has three national characteristics, including a flowing river representing the Taedong River, a 13 foot model of Pyongyang's Juche Tower and replicas of Jiangxi's tomb murals and cave paintings.

One environmentally focused pavilion is by The Union of Myanmar, or Burma, who named their pavilion "Better Urbanization with Harmonized Eco-System." The architecture features a courtyard suspended over a stream and the pavilion is decorated in bright colors with Southeast Asian design elements.

Different from designs featuring natural resources, Spain pays homage to traditions with there pavilion themed "From the City of Our Parents to the City of Our Children." Extravagant, yet true to its theme, Spain has created a giant animated baby that will greet visitors as they enter the pavilion.

Years of planning and now only days away, the world awaits what other pavilions will showcase on the opening day.