THE National Day holiday is shaping up as a big week at the five-square-kilometer venue of the World Expo Shanghai 2010 and visitors are already flocking to the site in the baking sun to enjoy reopened pavilions.

After two years of lying fallow, the site is gradually regaining vitality and the city has big plans to turn it into a bustling business, cultural and entertainment destination.

Tomorrow the iconic crimson China National Pavilion will open to the public as the China Art Museum and the former Urban Future Pavilion opens as the Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum.

A number of national pavilions and Expo venues are reopening with new exhibitions and functions.

It is an Expo tradition that the site be useful after the big event, its buildings put to other uses, showcasing concepts of eco-friendliness and sustainable development.

The Shanghai government has drawn up a plan to turn the site into a world attraction once again.

The city government spent 18 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion) for construction of the Expo site and another 10.6 billion for operation of the six-month event.

"The end of the Expo will be another beginning for the Expo site to regain world attractions with new designs and functions," said Ding Hao, president of the Expo Development Group and chief planner for post-Expo development of the site.

The former Zone A in Pudong, which housed Asian pavilions, will host the headquarters of domestic and international companies. The group will invite public bids for construction.

Zone B ,which mostly hosted pavilions of international organizations, has been designated as the headquarters' site for 13 of China's state-owned enterprises, including Baosteel and the State Grid. Around 28 buildings will be constructed using environmentally friendly materials and design concepts.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, China's jumbo jet producer, along with Beijing-based Sinochem Group and China Changjiang National Shipping Group, have already started construction on their headquarters.

Plans for Zone C, the European pavilions site, are undecided since the city government wants to keep the land in reserve. But the Italy Pavilion has opened to the public as the Italy Center with new exhibitions, including Ferraris.

In Puxi, the plan calls for demolition of the corporate pavilions in Zone D, but Ding said the companies can make proposals for other uses of their pavilions.

The Urban Best Practices Area in Zone E, the remaining Expo area, will become a culture and innovation park. The area will be leased to foreign chambers of commerce for their offices.

Those who were awed by the vibrant Expo two years ago are generally taken aback to see empty land, since most of the pavilions, which were designed to be recyclable, have been dismantled.

Only five foreign pavilions - those of Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Italy and Russia - remain. They had been presented to China as gifts. The Saudi Arabia Pavilion and Italy Pavilion are in use, while the uses for the others are yet to be determined.

Other permanent structures were built by the Expo organizer - the China Pavilion, Expo Center, Theme Pavilions, the Mercedes-Benz Arena and the Expo Axis.

China Art Museum

(Former China National Pavilion)

The majestic China National Pavilion, reflecting traditional architecture, will reopen to the public tomorrow as the China Art Museum after 10 months of renovation.

The museum contain five theme exhibitions. The former Shanghai Art Museum, located in the old horse-racing club on Nanjing Road, will move into the museum and open tomorrow.

The China Art Museum will focus on collections, exhibition, communication, survey and education, according to Zong Ming, a deputy head of the publicity department of the Shanghai committee of the Communist Party of China. "It will become another iconic cultural venue in the city," she said.

The new museum contains 27 halls covering 64,000 square meters. It owns around 14,000 pieces of art, which have been purchased and donated. The three levels of the exhibition hall showcase the history and development of modern art in Shanghai and China.

Opening hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays after the National Day holiday)

Tickets: Free (reservation tickets are needed during soft operation)

Address: Shangnan Rd (former Zone A of Expo Pudong site)



Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum

(Former Urban Future Pavilion)

The Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum also will open tomorrow with the launch of the Shanghai Biennale art exposition, an international art fair. It will be China's first government-supported contemporary art museum.

The museum is located in the renovated 110-year-old Nanshi Power Plant, which became the Urban Future Pavilion.

Zong said around 3 million people are expected to visit the two museums each year.

The eye-catching Expo Thermometer that showed temperatures and weather conditions on a 165-meter power plant chimney will again show weather readings starting tomorrow.

The museum will include an art gallery, food court, entertainment venues and offices, according to a plan published by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Land Resources.

Opening hours: 12pm-7pm (October 1); 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays after the National Day holiday)

Tickets: Free (reservation tickets are needed during test operation)

Address: Near Miaojiang Rd (former Zone E of Expo Puxi site)



Mercedes-Benz Arena

(Former Expo Culture Center)

The arena where the Expo opening and closing ceremony were held is the only venue at the Expo site that has remained open continuously, after initial renovation.

In addition to stages for shows and concerts, it includes cinemas, a public ice skating rink and restaurants.

The 120,000-square-meter space along the Huangpu River houses an 18,000-seat multi-purpose stage. The US band Maroon 5 performed there on September 25 and Elton John will perform on November 23, both in major stops on their world tours.

Also open to the public are the Expo International Cinema, which includes six screens, and the Century Star Skating Club, the city's biggest indoor ice skating rink, are also open to the public.

Opening hours: Around the clock

Ticket price: Free

Address: 1200 Expo Ave (former Zone A of Expo Pudong site)

Saudi Arabia Pavilion

The Saudi Arabia Pavilion, one of the most popular at the Expo, has received more than 1.3 million visitors, around 5,000 a day, since it reopened in 2011. A standard ticket costs 60 yuan.

During the six-month Expo, people had to wait as long as nine hours to enter the pavilion, drawn to its spectacular, vertigo-inducing, panoramic film on a 1,600-square-meter screen. It lasts for 15 minutes.

The pavilion design resembles that of an ancient moonboat sailing vessel.

Organizations can book visits at www.moonboat.cn. Visitors can dial 40-0821-3588 for information.

The 6,000-square-meter pavilion, one of the largest at the Expo, was also said to cost US$146 million, one of the most expensive.

It features the same exhibition shown at the Expo.

Opening hours: 9am-6pm (closed on Mondays after November 15)

Tickets: 60/75/100 yuan

Address: Near Expo Ave (former Zone A of Expo Pudong site)

Italy Center

(Former Italy Pavilion)

The Italy Pavilion, also one of the most popular Expo venues, opened to visitors in April. During the Expo, the pavilion displayed Italian art treasures, famous design, fashion, autos and other products, as well as cuisine. Without the masterpieces, it was redesigned for permanent exhibitions and serves as a platform for economic and cultural exchanges.

The first and second floors feature Italian handcrafted items, such as shoes, handbags and furniture, as well as jewelry and food culture. A replica of Michalangelo's "David" and a reproduction of a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci are the main attractions.

A 900-square-meter exhibition hall contains classic Ferrari racing cars.

The Luxemburg Pavilion next to the Italy Pavilion has become a training center for Istituto Marangoni, a famous fashion design academy, which will offer classes to the public.

Visitors can buy tickets at the office for the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. For more information, call 40-0821-3588.

Opening hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays, except during holidays)

Tickets: 60 yuan

Address: Near Expo Ave (former Zone C of Expo Pudong site)

Expo Memorial Exhibition

(Former Urban Footprint Pavilion)

An Expo Memorial Exhibition is underway in the former Urban Footprint Pavilion in Puxi, where visitors are reminded of the highlights of the Expo.

Tickets cost 30 yuan; students, military personnel, senior citizens and children can enter for 15 yuan.

The 20,000-square-meter exhibition will be open for two years. A 3D film titled "Expo Honor" will be screened. More than 14,000 exhibits have been collected from more than 200 pavilions.

"This will definitely remind visitors of the 184-day Expo," said Yu Li, chief designer of the memorial pavilion.

Exhibitions will be rotated throughout the exhibition's run to ensure that all 14,000 can be appreciated.

The "Miguelin," the Spain Pavilion's 6.5-meter animated baby, will be exhibited. There will also be a digitalized, moving Expo mural, similar to the digital conversion of the famous ink-wash painting, "Along the Riverside During the Qingming Festival."

Opening hours: 9am-5pm

Tickets: 30 yuan

Address: Near Longhua Rd E. (former Zone D of Expo Puxi site)