EXPO Express

In Brief

• Two million Japanese visitors expected, say officials from the land of the rising sun
• Residents in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province get a taste of the Expo action
• Firm hired to help stamp out Chinglish at the Expo
• A Tang Dynasty Pavilion will bring historic flair

Participants

From Rural to Urban a Key Theme for the Chinese Pavilion

6/13/09 China’s huge wave of migration from rural to urban areas over the past 30 years will be a major theme at the China Pavilion. A “core exhibition area” on the top floor, an “experience area” on the second and a “functional area” on the first floor of the Pavilion will feature different migration-related displays. Chen Xianjin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination said. Visitors will first be taken to the top of the pavilion by elevators which will look like trains carrying China’s migrant workers to urban towns, Chen said. There, visitors will see a film “The Migration of Hundreds of Millions” which will picture the past and present lives of the country’s migrant workers.

[Shanghai Daily]

Delegation expects two million Japanese Expo visitors

6/13/09 – Akira Kojima, senior fellow of the Japan Center for Economic Research, has predicted that two million Japanese will visit the Expo next year, reports the official website of the event. The Japanese academic made the comment during a trip to Shanghai last week to discuss event planning issues for the 2010 Expo with the organizers.

[expo2010.cn]

Haibao’s Japanese Journey

6/9/09 Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan attended an unveiling ceremony in Japan for Haibao, the Expo mascot. Speaking in Aichi Prefecture, where Japan held an Expo in 2005, Wang said, “We will try to hold a successful, splendid and unforgettable Expo, building a bridge of communication, understanding and cooperation for the people of China, Asia and other nations of the world.” Wang said his trip to Aichi was aimed at learning from Japan’s experience in holding such expositions to help make the Shanghai Expo an event to be proud of. Masaaki Kanda, governor of Aichi Prefecture, also attended the ceremony, and expressed his belief that the Expo will as successful as the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

[expo2010.cn]

Policy

Chinglish-busters hired

6/15/09 SmithStreetSolutions, which describes itself as a “knowledge process outsourcing firm” with offices in Shanghai, New York and Wuxi, has been hired by the Shanghai Language Committee to help revise guidelines for English translations in public places. The company will work with the committee to ensure that the new guidelines, which will apply to Expo-related signage and communications material, help prevent chinglish (confusing Chinese to English translations). SmithStreetSolutions CEO Franklin Yao said “We are very glad that we have the opportunity to make contributions to the Shanghai Expo and we will continue to do so in the future.”

[pr-usa.net]

General Info

Hi-tech Televisions Offer Information Feast for Visitors

6/14/09 The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television have offered 1,000 CMMB (China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting) TV sets to the Expo organizers. Zhang Haitao, deputy director of the Administration, said that the devices can receive e-paper service, e-magazine service and other services such as traffic info, in addition to standard TV functions. Yang Xiong, executive vice mayor of Shanghai and executive deputy director of the executive committee of the Expo, said that the mobile TV sets raised the tech level of the event and will offer a better experience for visitors. The devices will offer Expo site directions, emergency broadcasting and event information.

[expo2010.cn]

Chinese Cultural Heritage a Chance to see Rare Relics

6/14/09 – An Expo Collection Exhibition to be held in Pudong District in Shanghai to celebrate Chinese Cultural Heritage Day will see more than two hundred cultural relics are exhibited under one roof. The items will come from private collections, the owners of which will personally exhibit the relics to visitors curious to know more about the history of the Expo.

[China News Agency]

Cameras Ready Prepare to Flash

6/13/09 – A photo contest focusing on topics such as urban life, science and technology, community renovations and urban and rural areas was launched on Wednesday. Around 200 photographers of all levels of ability took part in the event, organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the Information Office of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination. The best pictures will be selected and displayed on the Expo website and in various national and international media.

[expo2010.cn]

Expo promotion week opens in far North

6/13/09 An Expo promotion week will be held in Heilongjiang Province lasting until June 20, officials announced at a press conference. Li Deshan, Heilongjiang’s senior coordinator for the province’s participation in Expo Shanghai, gave details on the province’s participation work for the Expo as well as activities to take place during the promotion week. Heilongjiang’s exhibition is named “a Crystal Dream Ice City.” Ice and snow will be the theme for the northeast province, which will carry the slogan “Ice and Snow Make Us Unique.”

[expo2010.cn]

Tang Dynasty Pavilion on the Way

6/10/09 – A Pavilion showing the history of the Chinese Tang Dynasty will be yet another attraction at this year’s Expo, officials announced. The building will feature performances including Tang Dynasty Palace fashion show and a musical performance will be among the activities taking place at the Pavilion.

China News Agency

Official Trip to Romania

6/10/09 Chinese Commissioner General for Expo 2010 Shanghai Ambassador Hua Junduo paid a working visit to Romania over June 5-9 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu, according to a report from the Romanian press agency Agerpres. On the agenda between Chief of Romanian diplomacy and Commissioner general for Expo 2010 were aspects of joint interest surrounding Romanian and Chinese preparations for Expo. Also discussed was the programme of events to be organized by Romania and the post-expo strategies planned by the Chinese organizers, specifically the possibility of converting the national pavilions to centers of economic, cultural and scientific exchange.

[Agerpres]