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'Seed Cathedral' sows seeds of friendship
By Zhou Hanmin |
April 12, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ON February 23, 2005, acting as the Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination and in charge of international exhibition-invitations, I received a delegation led by Mr Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK, and I accompanied the guests to visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and inspect the urban construction and development of the future Shanghai. I could dimly perceive Brown's shock when the ambitious and bold blueprint was unrolled in front of him.
Two years later, Brown became Prime Minister of the UK after the resignation of Tony Blair. The exchange of UK's Participation Contract at Expo 2010 Shanghai, China, was held in Xijiao State Guest Hotel on January 19, 2008. Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the ceremony.
On that very day, I had just returned from a business trip in Madrid and rushed to the ceremony site directly from the airport. For this important event, I was honored to officiate at the ceremony. Meeting with Gordon Brown again and jointly witnessing the milestone moment of the UK's participation, I couldn't help feeling gratified and touched.
Expo 2010 Shanghai China was inaugurated on May 1, 2010, with 190 countries and 46 international organizations gathering in the Expo Park. All of 42 self-built pavilions, 42 rented pavilions, and 11 joint pavilions were stunning in appearance.
Among them, 12 pavilions became the highlighted focus for their enormous exhibition area. They are the self-built pavilions with a 6,000-square-meter scale: Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, the US and Canada.
A pavilion of ideas
The UK Pavilion, by presenting a breakthrough concept in contrast to the traditional display manner, distinguished itself with a roofless open garden for visitors. Originally named "A Pavilion of Ideas," it was designed by the Heatherwick Studio.
Widely known as the "Seed Cathedral," the UK Pavilion is like a giant puffy dandelion, with 60,000 acrylic rods radiating in all directions and moving gracefully with gentle breezes.
The transparent fiber optic rods also conduct light from outside to inside to create a modern and sensational space effect. When night falls, all the interior light sources installed in the rods turned on. The whole structure is illuminated all at once, rendering a brilliant and breathtaking view of the whole building.
When entering the "Cathedral," one marvels at the 60,000 plant seeds encapsulated at the root of every acrylic rod, since all the particular seeds come from distinctive plants.
China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, provider of the plant seeds, has been collaborating with the British Royal Botanic Garden since 2004.
The unconstrained configuration of the seeds makes them dynamic spirits, enriching and deepening the theme of the UK Pavilion in terms of innovation and environmental protection. The pavilion also explores a wider vision of cooperation in ecology and environmental protection between China and the UK.
In addition to the "Seed Cathedral" as a centerpiece, the UK Pavilion also features exhibition areas such as "Green City," "Open City," "Vitality City," and "Open Park."
The area around the "Cathedral" is designed like unfolded wrapping paper, carrying a profound meaning that the UK presented the "Seed Cathedral" to China as a gift symbolizing Sino-UK friendship.
Liverpool reborn
As a world famous maritime center, Liverpool participated in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) at Expo 2010 with a pavilion case theme of "The Protection and Reutilization of Historical Heritage in Liverpool."
As one of the 50 best practices cases in the UBPA category, Liverpool showcased its successful transformation from an ancient harbor to a modern city. It also displayed its inclusive and diverse urban culture, a rich and varied legacy of history and outstanding natural environments.
During the six-month exhibition of the Expo, the Liverpool Case Pavilion received an average of 4,500 visits per day, contributing one more attraction to UK participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai.
Today, on my office desk, there is a picture of me taken in front of the "Seed Cathedral" during the Expo. Although the "Seed Cathedral" no longer exists in the Expo Park, the cathedral that once made us feel breathtaking emotion has sowed the seeds of friendship in the hearts of British and Chinese people.
The is the scond and final part of the author's article on Sino-UK friendship. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
Two years later, Brown became Prime Minister of the UK after the resignation of Tony Blair. The exchange of UK's Participation Contract at Expo 2010 Shanghai, China, was held in Xijiao State Guest Hotel on January 19, 2008. Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the ceremony.
On that very day, I had just returned from a business trip in Madrid and rushed to the ceremony site directly from the airport. For this important event, I was honored to officiate at the ceremony. Meeting with Gordon Brown again and jointly witnessing the milestone moment of the UK's participation, I couldn't help feeling gratified and touched.
Expo 2010 Shanghai China was inaugurated on May 1, 2010, with 190 countries and 46 international organizations gathering in the Expo Park. All of 42 self-built pavilions, 42 rented pavilions, and 11 joint pavilions were stunning in appearance.
Among them, 12 pavilions became the highlighted focus for their enormous exhibition area. They are the self-built pavilions with a 6,000-square-meter scale: Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, the US and Canada.
A pavilion of ideas
The UK Pavilion, by presenting a breakthrough concept in contrast to the traditional display manner, distinguished itself with a roofless open garden for visitors. Originally named "A Pavilion of Ideas," it was designed by the Heatherwick Studio.
Widely known as the "Seed Cathedral," the UK Pavilion is like a giant puffy dandelion, with 60,000 acrylic rods radiating in all directions and moving gracefully with gentle breezes.
The transparent fiber optic rods also conduct light from outside to inside to create a modern and sensational space effect. When night falls, all the interior light sources installed in the rods turned on. The whole structure is illuminated all at once, rendering a brilliant and breathtaking view of the whole building.
When entering the "Cathedral," one marvels at the 60,000 plant seeds encapsulated at the root of every acrylic rod, since all the particular seeds come from distinctive plants.
China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, provider of the plant seeds, has been collaborating with the British Royal Botanic Garden since 2004.
The unconstrained configuration of the seeds makes them dynamic spirits, enriching and deepening the theme of the UK Pavilion in terms of innovation and environmental protection. The pavilion also explores a wider vision of cooperation in ecology and environmental protection between China and the UK.
In addition to the "Seed Cathedral" as a centerpiece, the UK Pavilion also features exhibition areas such as "Green City," "Open City," "Vitality City," and "Open Park."
The area around the "Cathedral" is designed like unfolded wrapping paper, carrying a profound meaning that the UK presented the "Seed Cathedral" to China as a gift symbolizing Sino-UK friendship.
Liverpool reborn
As a world famous maritime center, Liverpool participated in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) at Expo 2010 with a pavilion case theme of "The Protection and Reutilization of Historical Heritage in Liverpool."
As one of the 50 best practices cases in the UBPA category, Liverpool showcased its successful transformation from an ancient harbor to a modern city. It also displayed its inclusive and diverse urban culture, a rich and varied legacy of history and outstanding natural environments.
During the six-month exhibition of the Expo, the Liverpool Case Pavilion received an average of 4,500 visits per day, contributing one more attraction to UK participation in Expo 2010 Shanghai.
Today, on my office desk, there is a picture of me taken in front of the "Seed Cathedral" during the Expo. Although the "Seed Cathedral" no longer exists in the Expo Park, the cathedral that once made us feel breathtaking emotion has sowed the seeds of friendship in the hearts of British and Chinese people.
The is the scond and final part of the author's article on Sino-UK friendship. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
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