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US Pavilion at World Expo an indelible memory
By Zhou Hanmin |
April 17, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
EDITOR'S note: This is the second and final part of an article about US participation in World Expo 2010, adapted from the author's new book, "Ten Years: Expo & Me."
I would like to take a special space in this book to express my appreciation for Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, for her support of Expo 2010.
She not only headed the fund-raising campaign for the US Pavilion, but also articulated that "we must come and must show in Shanghai." She personally lobbied the congressional members of both parties and the private sector.
On July 10, 2009, the US signed the official Participation Contract; on July 17, the US Pavilion site construction commenced; and the question of US participation was settled once and for all.
The theme of the US Pavilion was "Rising to the Challenge." The pavilion was a huge steel structure in gray, which seemed like a soaring eagle with wings stretched open to welcome visitors. Inside a vigorous and emotional story would uphold the four core messages of "sustainability," "teamwork," "health" and "pursuit for success."
Hi-tech measures were applied to showcase the American spirits of perseverance, innovation, and community building; to profile the country as a land of opportunity and diversity; and to exhibit a society that gets better with the pooled efforts of people.
The exhibition content is realized by three films. Act One is titled "American Spirit" and highlights concerted teamwork, freedom, diversity, innovation, opportunities, and common prosperity. Act Two is a video named "Garden." The story is about how a 10-year-old girl makes her dream into a reality through the joined efforts of her neighbors and herself, while the desire is to change a discarded lot into a piece of urban oasis. The last act is titled "Opportunity and Creation," which focuses on the subject that more communities with sustainability shall be established through the application of innovative technologies.
7 million visitors
The visitors to the US Pavilion during the 184-day Expo 2010 Shanghai exceeded 7 million. Streams of political VIPs, prominent figures from the circles of business, culture, sports, diplomacy, and thinkers, all flooded into the US Pavilion to observe and enjoy this wonderful work on the shining stage of the World Exposition.
On May 7, 2010, the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra showed up at the Expo site and offered a public performance in the Expo Cultural Center with 18,000 seats.
When all stood up to honor the national anthems of both China and the US played by the orchestra, I was overwhelmed with emotion when thinking that our two great nations, though residing on opposite sides of the Pacific, shall shoulder the responsibility of promoting world civilization and human development; therefore, peace between our peoples is good for the whole world, while fighting between us will trouble everyone; and the partnership on Expo 2010 Shanghai affairs shall be upheld as a vivid example for the overall development of bilateral relations.
October 16, 2010, Saturday, happened to be the Double 9 Festival on the Chinese lunar calendar. This was a remarkable day in Expo history. By the middle of that day we saw the total visitor numbers reach 64.2 million, a record high in the 159-year history of the World Exposition. Also that day, the single-day visitors exceeded 1.03 million.
Standing in the middle of the extremely crowded site, I was shocked and moved by the scenes in sight.
Over one million visitors were interwoven in clear order, which demonstrated that the sense of justice and rationality is the same for everybody, and that all these visitors are here for civilization and cultivation, friendship building, and worldwide harmony.
I worked nine hours within the Expo site that day for a series of official activities, among which, there was a reciprocal banquet held by the US Pavilion Commissioner General. There Ms Beatrice Camp, US Consul General in Shanghai, and Mr Jose Villarrel, the Commissioner General of the US Pavilion, both delivered addresses.
In my speech, I took the chance to express my sincere appreciation of the friendship and commitment by the US government and people.
The US Pavilion, as one of the most acclaimed pavilions, will stay in visitors' memories for a long time.
Meanwhile, the US government and people overcame difficulties and trekked to Shanghai for Expo 2010, making valuable contributions to the success of the event and embodied the Expo spirit of "comprehension, communication, celebration, cooperation," which itself is an unforgettable journey.
The author is a professor of law and a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
I would like to take a special space in this book to express my appreciation for Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, for her support of Expo 2010.
She not only headed the fund-raising campaign for the US Pavilion, but also articulated that "we must come and must show in Shanghai." She personally lobbied the congressional members of both parties and the private sector.
On July 10, 2009, the US signed the official Participation Contract; on July 17, the US Pavilion site construction commenced; and the question of US participation was settled once and for all.
The theme of the US Pavilion was "Rising to the Challenge." The pavilion was a huge steel structure in gray, which seemed like a soaring eagle with wings stretched open to welcome visitors. Inside a vigorous and emotional story would uphold the four core messages of "sustainability," "teamwork," "health" and "pursuit for success."
Hi-tech measures were applied to showcase the American spirits of perseverance, innovation, and community building; to profile the country as a land of opportunity and diversity; and to exhibit a society that gets better with the pooled efforts of people.
The exhibition content is realized by three films. Act One is titled "American Spirit" and highlights concerted teamwork, freedom, diversity, innovation, opportunities, and common prosperity. Act Two is a video named "Garden." The story is about how a 10-year-old girl makes her dream into a reality through the joined efforts of her neighbors and herself, while the desire is to change a discarded lot into a piece of urban oasis. The last act is titled "Opportunity and Creation," which focuses on the subject that more communities with sustainability shall be established through the application of innovative technologies.
7 million visitors
The visitors to the US Pavilion during the 184-day Expo 2010 Shanghai exceeded 7 million. Streams of political VIPs, prominent figures from the circles of business, culture, sports, diplomacy, and thinkers, all flooded into the US Pavilion to observe and enjoy this wonderful work on the shining stage of the World Exposition.
On May 7, 2010, the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra showed up at the Expo site and offered a public performance in the Expo Cultural Center with 18,000 seats.
When all stood up to honor the national anthems of both China and the US played by the orchestra, I was overwhelmed with emotion when thinking that our two great nations, though residing on opposite sides of the Pacific, shall shoulder the responsibility of promoting world civilization and human development; therefore, peace between our peoples is good for the whole world, while fighting between us will trouble everyone; and the partnership on Expo 2010 Shanghai affairs shall be upheld as a vivid example for the overall development of bilateral relations.
October 16, 2010, Saturday, happened to be the Double 9 Festival on the Chinese lunar calendar. This was a remarkable day in Expo history. By the middle of that day we saw the total visitor numbers reach 64.2 million, a record high in the 159-year history of the World Exposition. Also that day, the single-day visitors exceeded 1.03 million.
Standing in the middle of the extremely crowded site, I was shocked and moved by the scenes in sight.
Over one million visitors were interwoven in clear order, which demonstrated that the sense of justice and rationality is the same for everybody, and that all these visitors are here for civilization and cultivation, friendship building, and worldwide harmony.
I worked nine hours within the Expo site that day for a series of official activities, among which, there was a reciprocal banquet held by the US Pavilion Commissioner General. There Ms Beatrice Camp, US Consul General in Shanghai, and Mr Jose Villarrel, the Commissioner General of the US Pavilion, both delivered addresses.
In my speech, I took the chance to express my sincere appreciation of the friendship and commitment by the US government and people.
The US Pavilion, as one of the most acclaimed pavilions, will stay in visitors' memories for a long time.
Meanwhile, the US government and people overcame difficulties and trekked to Shanghai for Expo 2010, making valuable contributions to the success of the event and embodied the Expo spirit of "comprehension, communication, celebration, cooperation," which itself is an unforgettable journey.
The author is a professor of law and a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the CPPCC.
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