In Brief

The USA Pavilion breaks ground

Taiwan has agreed on its pavilion location and is ready to sign on

As three more companies sign up, the US sponsor list reaches a total of 12

A podcaster group is formed, to capture the Expo on a grassroots level

Participants

Colombia Signs Participation Contract

7/20/09 – Colombia has now signed on to join the Expo. Gustavo Gaviria, the Colombia’s Expo commissioner general, delivered the country’s participation contract to the Expo’s organizer. The country already started preparations on its 1,000 square meter rented pavilion. [Echo Hu / expo2010.cn]

USA Pavilion Breaks Ground

7/18/09 – The US had its groundbreaking ceremony on Friday. In attendance were US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, US Expo Commissioner General Jose Villarreal, United States Consul General in Shanghai Beatrice Camp, Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong and Director General of the Expo’s coordination bureau, Hong Hao. “There is no better city to host the World Expo with the theme of ‘Better City, Better Life’ than such a diversified and vibrant city as Shanghai,” said Locke. “It’s the right place at the right time for the entire world.” The USA Pavilion will be organized of three parts — two elliptical buildings and a circular theater — and will feature a pre-show, main show and a post-show, with a theme of “Celebration 2030.” The main show will feature high-tech audio-visual and special-effects technology, known as the four-dimensional movie, said Greg Lombardo, brand development director of BRC Imagination Arts. BRC, a California-based firm, will plan and produce the show content. More information can be found on the pavilion’s newly launched website (www.usapavilion2010.com/index.htm). [Yang Jian, Maggie Zhang and Joy Wang  / Shanghai Daily]

Taiwan to participate in the Expo

7/18/09 – After reaching an agreement on a pavilion location, Taiwan has decided to participate in the Expo. Concerns involving the placement were an ongoing debate between China and Taiwan. The compromise is that the Taiwan pavilion will be in the Asia zone, near the Chinese section. The agreement is still pending Chinese approval, but is expected to be signed Tuesday by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Shanghai Expo, reported Central News Agency (CNA). Xu Wei, spokesman for the Shanghai Expo’s organizing committee, said Taiwan’s design work on its pavilion is going smoothly and that he believes it will be ready in time for the Expo’s opening. [DPA]

French Pavilion to House Historic Art

7/15/09 – The French government will send historic artwork from artists such as Auguste Rodin and Vincent Van Gogh to China for the Expo. The art will be housed in “the Sensual City”, otherwise known as the France Pavilion, which will also present sights, smells, and sounds of France, said Franck Serrano, director of the French Pavilion. The artwork comes from collections at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. “The 2010 Shanghai World Expo is one of the most significant events in the 21st century and an opportunity for the whole world,” Serrano said. He added that the French Pavilion will be a gift to China akin to France’s gift of the Statue of Liberty to the US in 1886. France has been pushing to preserve its pavilion even after the Expo ends. However, except for four permanent structures including the China Pavilion and a central boulevard, all foreign pavilions and exhibition halls are currently scheduled to be demolished post-Expo. [Wang Zhenghua / China Daily]

Corning Joins as USA Pavilion Sponsor

7/14/09 – Corning Incorporated is now a USA Pavilion sponsor. The glass and ceramics maker will have products integrated into the Pavilion. Ellen R. Eliasoph, Co-Chair of the USA National Pavilion, remarked, “We are proud to welcome Corning as a sponsor of the USA National Pavilion. A company having a long history in China, Corning is contributing to “Better Cities and Better Lives” by participating actively in the upgrading of China’s communications infrastructure. Corning’s contributions will help us ensure that our Pavilion is state-of-the-art in all respects.” Eric S. Musser, chief executive officer of Corning Greater China, said “As the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, Corning is extremely proud to be a part of this historic undertaking. The Shanghai 2010 Expo provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate innovative technologies and solutions essential to improving the lives of people around the world and particularly here in China.” Other U.S. Pavilion sponsors include PepsiCo, 3M, Dell, General Electric, Yum, Cargill, Golden Eagle and the USA-China Education, Science and Culture Association. [Glen Loveland / Examiner.com]

General Info

Expo Podcaster Group Formed

7/19/09 – An Expo podcasters group was formed to record and campaign for the Expo at a grassroots level, using websites such as qq.com, sina.com, China.com, PPStream, tudou.com and youku.com. The first organized activity for the group was at the Capital Museum in Beijing, where the World Expo 2010 Exhibition is being held. The podcasters group was formed under permission of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination. Officials from the bureau said that netizens are becoming more important in communication and information on a grassroots level. They also said that the group will later cover Expo sites, Expo events and other activities. [Shen Li / expo2010.cn]

President Hu Calls for Smooth Planning

7/16/09 – While visiting the “Walk into the Expo” exhibition in Beijing on Wednesday, President Hu Jintao announced his wish for smooth planning and hopes that the success of the event would have a positive effect on the global economy. “The Shanghai World Expo is the second world pageant in the country after the Beijing Olympics. Hosting the event successfully is very important to promoting our exchanges and cooperation with other countries and regions across the world,” said Hu. The President visited the exhibition along with other senior Chinese leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang. They praised the preparations and expressed their appreciation to all the participants. The exhibition in Beijing includes artifacts, pictures and videos that recorded the 150-year-plus development of the event, along with current preparations for the Shanghai Expo. More than 2.3 million people have visited the free exhibition, which will run until July 25. [Xinhua]

Celebrities to Send Expo Goodwill

7/15/09 – A hundred celebrities world-wide will compose goodwill messages for the Expo. The messages will cover a range of topics such as international cooperation, the global economy, scientific innovations and Expo philosophy. Up to 70 celebrity messages will come from abroad, including political leaders, mayors of sister cities, entrepreneurs from international corporations, heads of international organizations, Nobel Prize winners, and other celebrities in economics, culture, academia and sports. Well-known names consist of former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder; former president of the Republic of Korea and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kim Dae-Jung; Mayor Boris Johnson of London; HSBC chairman Stephen Green; China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei; and Tan Dun, Grammy and Oscar-winning composer. The project is being managed by the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government, the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Jiefang Daily and Wenhui Daily. [expo2010.cn]