Construction began a while ago on the UK pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010, however it has been said that there may be some controversial changes to the original design when the project is finished towards the end of 2009.
The original design, called the “Pavilion of Ideas,” was a special “box of light” which would house 60,000 shining pixels, each ending with a tiny light source that would move when the wind blew (and Shanghai is famous for its wind!). In the evening and through the night, the pavilion would twinkle with a variety of light effects, and it would be like a romantic show.
However, this design has now been slightly changed, and the “light box” has been opened up. It now has more in common with an enormous gift box than a light box, with the present being given from the UK to China. Officials from the British Consulate-General in Shanghai are extremely pleased with the idea that the gift may symbolise diplomatic ties between the two countries. Inside the pavilion there will be an exhibition about “bringing nature back into the city”, and this popular theme of regeneration can be seen throughout the Shanghai Expo 2010 in a number of different pavilions.
Five British corporations – Diageo, BP, GKN, AstraZeneca and Barclays – will invest half a million pounds each for the pavilion, and the rest will be paid for by the British government, who can clearly see the importance in strengthening ties with China and the business potential that this holds.
Keep checking back for more information about the UK pavilion Shanghai Expo 2010 in the near future!
Shanghai’s governing powers have announced that all of their huge fleet of buses will be upgraded in time for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. This announcement has come as a huge relief to people who have been worried by recent problems in other parts of China with older buses and overheating, or worse, explosions.
Buses upgraded for Shanghai Expo 2010
Buses are the most common form of transportation in China, and Shanghai is the modern (technology) capital of the country. Many of the buses in Shanghai are brand new, however even those with full functioning air-conditioning do not have emergency windows for people to escape in the event of an emergency. Well this is no longer the case.
After a recent bus fire and explosion in Chengdu, the authorities in Shanghai, China have announced that the newer buses will have emergency windows at the back fitted, and older buses in the fleet will gradually be fitted with the emergency windows, but the project will be finished in time for the beginning of the Expo in 2010!
The Expo itself will have a wide ranging bus service which will travel between Expo sites, as well as linking all of the city’s popular toursits destinations. Foreigners and tourists will be catered for, as well as local people who rely on Shanghai city buses to get to and from work or University.
This is Romania’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo (World Expo) in Shanghai, China in 2010.
Romania’s national pavilion at Shanghai 2010 World Expo will represent a green apple in its focus on a “green city” concept.
The pavilion size is 2,000 square meters and its apple shape and logo “Greenopolis” represent the importance of healthy lifestyle, sustainable development and knowledge-based solutions for modern society.
Romania tries to highlight a city’s historical and cultural heritage in order to understand, develop and translate this wisdom into a better quality of life for contemporary urban Romanian citizens.
The Finnish government hopes to dismantle the pavilion after the Shanghai Expo and move it to other places in China, using it as a restaurant, office building or library.
The government of Finland has given about 14 million euros (US$18 million) for its participation at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
The building, around 2,000 square meters in size, will take visitors on a journey through snow-capped mountains, forests, flowing rivers and urban landscapes. It displays Austria’s natural scenery and landmark buildings such as Vienna City Hall, and the theme is called “Feel the Harmony.”
The pavilion will take a porcelain outer shell in red and white colors, which represent the colors of the Austrian national flag. The red color also takes on Chinese meaning of the color of good luck.
The Norway pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 will be called “15 trees”. The Norwegian government wants to keep the “15 trees” in China after the Shanghai Expo 2010 as a “symbol of the friendly relations between the two countries”.
The Norway pavilion might be split and moved to different areas of China, or relocated as a whole.
The “trees” could become restaurants, conference halls or found in parks for people to enjoy.
The Norwegian pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 cost 150 million Norwegian kroner (US$22.8 million), half provided by the Norwegian government and the other half from companies.
The Ireland pavilion at the Shanghai expo 2010 is going to show off its changing townscapes through the time.
Ireland will show its urban lifestyle with highlight on the efficient use of space. Eire wants to highlight its sustainable development model and people’s involvement in these projects.
The Irish Pavilion will be built across gentle inclines and will have five enclosed galleries, covering more than 1,500 square meters of exhibition space.
Ireland’s expo 2010 pavilion will also feature a courtyard plaza that will act as an exhibition space and a performance zone.
The cultural history of Irish cities and their achievements in arts and literature will be presented through exhibitions and performances in the Ireland pavilion at the Shanghai world expo 2010.
The Denmark pavilion Shanghai Expo 2010, the centerpiece will be a copper statue, which will sit on a piece of marble to welcome visitors to the pavilion during the Shanghai Expo.
The idea of the statue came to Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of the Carlsberg beer company, after he became fascinated by a ballet about the fairy tale. The famous artist Edward Eriksen then made the statue, which was first unveiled in 1913.
The Danish Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo consists of an outdoor area and an indoor area which are joined in a circle. The pavilion aims to give visitors the chance to savor the best aspects of Danish city life.
The pavilion’s name is “Welfairytales” – a mixture of the words “welfare” and “fairy tales”.
The Denmark pavilion Shanghai Expo 2010 will also feature a mermaid!
Chile was the first country to sign up for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China.
The Shanghai Expo 2010 mascot, Haibao was on hand to reveal the plans for the Chile pavilion a couple of months ago.
The Chile pavilion will feature a huge range of Chilean products and services which bring a taste of South American culture to the World Expo in Shanghai, China.
Italy will have a large national pavilion in World Expo in Shanghai 2010.
The expo pavilion will be called The City of Man. It is made of 20 functional modules that can be assembled freely. It was designed by Giampaolo Imbrighi.
The design was inspired by a traditional Shanghainese game, like pick-up-sticks. In the game, people can drop a batch of 20 to 30 sticks on a table and try to move one stick at a time without moving the others until all the sticks are cleared.
The 20 modules represent the 20 regions of Italy, making the whole pavilion embody a mini Italian city.
Milan, in Italy, will host the World Expo in 2015, and so they will try to find a lot of information at the 2010 expo in Shanghai, China.