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How the city welcomed the world
By Tan Weiyun |
June 22, 2009, Monday
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HANGZHOU is famous for the West Lake, green rolling hills, sacred temples, fragrant fields of Longjing tea, delicious food and well-preserved traditional culture.
However, what you might not know about the city is that Hangzhou was also the country's first to embrace the outside world with its riches and showcase China's developments in education, culture, politics and scientific technology.
Held in 1929, the West Lake Expo was regarded as the biggest exhibition the country had seen in modern times, a milestone of China's booming domestic industry.
From the Broken Bridge and the Jindai Bridge, past Tang's Villa, along the Gushan Road where Chen Lie's Gravestone and the Fanghe Kiosk are found, up to the northern Xiling Bridge, then to Yuefei's Temple, further down to Beishan Road with its Chunrun Villa, Baoqing Villa and Dafo Temple, the unprecedented fair sprawled to almost every corner around the West Lake, covering 500 hectares.
It attracted 20 million visitors from home and abroad - businessmen, overseas Chinese merchants, and delegations from the United States, Britain, Korea and Japan.
During the 137-day expo, four military aircraft performed aerobatics above the West Lake; 64 lectures were given by celebrities and experts; amateurs and athletes joined in a variety of sporting events including table tennis, mountain climbing, bicycle races and Chinese chess.
The exposition created a great sensation in China and had a positive effect around the world. It became one of the four major international celebrations along with the 1893 Chicago Expo, the 1900 Paris Expo and the 1927 Philadelphia Expo.
It might be hard to revive precisely that flourishing scene, but visitors to Hangzhou can still flash back to the heydays of 80 years ago and have a glimpse of this magnificent world fair when they visit the Museum of the West Lake Exposition at 40 Beishan Road.
Like most of the buildings on the road, the museum is a European-style villa with yellow brick wall. It is easy to miss as the door is just hidden behind lush phoenix trees.
But once you step into the museum, you enter a world to marvel at. The interior decor is a skillful combo of East and West with those very Chinese grey bricks, carved wooden pieces and modern steel and glass.
The center hall is named "Sunshine," for the roof is made of large sections of glass.
When the weather is fine, the sunlight shining through the roof makes the 500-square-meter center hall a crystalline and incandescent area.
It is said this part was originally a central courtyard. The glass roof, to a large extent, preserves the inner structure of the old building.
With its hands-on principles, the museum features a large number of interactive exhibitions supplemented with audio and visual effects. Visitors can have a close look at the many exhibits and take part in the games.
It is quite an eye-opening experience to tour the spacious museum. That paraphernalia used by Hangzhou locals 80 years ago delivers a vivid picture of life in days of yore. A total of 14.76 million items, big and small, old and new are on display.
Things showcased include the natural, eco-green bottles of makeup produced by the Pharmacy of Hu Xueyan (1823-1885, a successful merchant and, at the same time, a royal court official), the colorful silk fabrics manufactured by the then Hangzhou Zhendan Silk Co, models of electric machinery made by Siemens, an enamel stove made by the China Enamel Factory, a rickshaw, a double-edged sword, pairs of glasses from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Zhang Xiaoquan scissors.
In fact, the 1929 Expo had 13 halls of arts, agriculture, education, silk, industry, telecommunication and many others, all set in the historic and scenic spots around the West Lake. The museum was the then Hall of Industry showcasing China's breakthrough in machinery. After the Expo, the villa was retained as a museum to commemorate the event.
Because of civil wars and the reshuffling of political power, the West Lake Expo was closed after 1929. In 2000, the Hangzhou government revived the Expo dream and opened the museum which today has become a special outing for visitors and an annual outing for businessmen and locals.
Address: 40 Beishan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8799-7317
Hours: 9am-9pm
However, what you might not know about the city is that Hangzhou was also the country's first to embrace the outside world with its riches and showcase China's developments in education, culture, politics and scientific technology.
Held in 1929, the West Lake Expo was regarded as the biggest exhibition the country had seen in modern times, a milestone of China's booming domestic industry.
From the Broken Bridge and the Jindai Bridge, past Tang's Villa, along the Gushan Road where Chen Lie's Gravestone and the Fanghe Kiosk are found, up to the northern Xiling Bridge, then to Yuefei's Temple, further down to Beishan Road with its Chunrun Villa, Baoqing Villa and Dafo Temple, the unprecedented fair sprawled to almost every corner around the West Lake, covering 500 hectares.
It attracted 20 million visitors from home and abroad - businessmen, overseas Chinese merchants, and delegations from the United States, Britain, Korea and Japan.
During the 137-day expo, four military aircraft performed aerobatics above the West Lake; 64 lectures were given by celebrities and experts; amateurs and athletes joined in a variety of sporting events including table tennis, mountain climbing, bicycle races and Chinese chess.
The exposition created a great sensation in China and had a positive effect around the world. It became one of the four major international celebrations along with the 1893 Chicago Expo, the 1900 Paris Expo and the 1927 Philadelphia Expo.
It might be hard to revive precisely that flourishing scene, but visitors to Hangzhou can still flash back to the heydays of 80 years ago and have a glimpse of this magnificent world fair when they visit the Museum of the West Lake Exposition at 40 Beishan Road.
Like most of the buildings on the road, the museum is a European-style villa with yellow brick wall. It is easy to miss as the door is just hidden behind lush phoenix trees.
But once you step into the museum, you enter a world to marvel at. The interior decor is a skillful combo of East and West with those very Chinese grey bricks, carved wooden pieces and modern steel and glass.
The center hall is named "Sunshine," for the roof is made of large sections of glass.
When the weather is fine, the sunlight shining through the roof makes the 500-square-meter center hall a crystalline and incandescent area.
It is said this part was originally a central courtyard. The glass roof, to a large extent, preserves the inner structure of the old building.
With its hands-on principles, the museum features a large number of interactive exhibitions supplemented with audio and visual effects. Visitors can have a close look at the many exhibits and take part in the games.
It is quite an eye-opening experience to tour the spacious museum. That paraphernalia used by Hangzhou locals 80 years ago delivers a vivid picture of life in days of yore. A total of 14.76 million items, big and small, old and new are on display.
Things showcased include the natural, eco-green bottles of makeup produced by the Pharmacy of Hu Xueyan (1823-1885, a successful merchant and, at the same time, a royal court official), the colorful silk fabrics manufactured by the then Hangzhou Zhendan Silk Co, models of electric machinery made by Siemens, an enamel stove made by the China Enamel Factory, a rickshaw, a double-edged sword, pairs of glasses from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Zhang Xiaoquan scissors.
In fact, the 1929 Expo had 13 halls of arts, agriculture, education, silk, industry, telecommunication and many others, all set in the historic and scenic spots around the West Lake. The museum was the then Hall of Industry showcasing China's breakthrough in machinery. After the Expo, the villa was retained as a museum to commemorate the event.
Because of civil wars and the reshuffling of political power, the West Lake Expo was closed after 1929. In 2000, the Hangzhou government revived the Expo dream and opened the museum which today has become a special outing for visitors and an annual outing for businessmen and locals.
Address: 40 Beishan Rd
Tel: (0571) 8799-7317
Hours: 9am-9pm
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