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UPDATED: April 12, 2010 NO. 15 APRIL 15, 2010
Go Pavilions!
The majority of pavilions for the Shanghai 2010 World Expo will greet visitors on time
By WANG JUN
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SYMBOL OF FRIENDSHIP: In the shape of a purple cocoon, the Japan Pavilion is designed to symbolize the friendly relations between China and Japan (JIANG XIAOYING)

Scaffolds covered the dome of the India Pavilion, and construction crews were working in the rain on March 30. On the same day, debris was also seen around some of the pavilions for the 2010 World Expo. However, officials for these pavilions are confident that they will open to the public on schedule.

Yang Xiong, Executive Vice Mayor of Shanghai and Deputy Director of the Executive Committee for the 2010 World Expo, shared his confidence and assured reporters at a group interview on March 30 that most of the Expo's pavilions will open as scheduled.

The Shanghai World Expo has made history with the number of participants and pavilions being built. The organizer says that 192 countries and 50 international organizations will participate in the Expo. Participating countries and international organizations have chosen different types of pavilions to showcase themselves. Self-built pavilions are those designed and built by participants on the plot allocated by the Expo organizer, rented pavilions are stand-alone pavilions built by the Expo organizer and rented to participants, while joint pavilions are those constructed by the Expo organizer and offered to developing nations free of charge.

 

ILLUMINATED MAKE-UP: The Estonia Pavilion tests its lighting installations on April 5. Many pavilions are at the stage of lighting tests, making the Expo site splendid at night (PEI XIN)

By December 2009, plans for the Shanghai World Expo included 42 self-built pavilions, 42 rented pavilions and 11 joint pavilions. In addition to this, a number of corporations that are participating in the Shanghai Expo have also opted to build their own pavilions to display their own interpretations of the Expo theme. The Shanghai World Expo will also include 18 corporate pavilions.

Some reports have stated that 10-20 percent of the pavilions would not be finished on time. Yang believes, however, that such reports are erroneous. "I know that every country and organization that is building its own pavilion is doing their best. We still have a month to go, and it is impossible as well as impolite to say how many pavilions will not be finished on time," Yang said.

During a number of previous world expos, approximately 10-20 percent of pavilions had failed to open on schedule. Yang says such a situation will not recur in Shanghai.

"It is predicted that the number of pavilions that do not open on schedule will be much lower than 10 percent of the total," he said. Delays may be caused by late transportation of materials for arranging exhibits, and extended project time because of high standards. "We will all endeavor to reduce the number of pavilions that are unable to open on schedule," Yang told reporters.

The Shanghai World Expo will commence trial operation on April 20 with the participation of approximately 70 percent of the pavilions, Yang said. It is estimated that the Shanghai World Expo, which runs from May 1 to October 31, will draw over 70 million visitors.

In addition to the pavilions, the Shanghai World Expo's permanent constructions, which include the China Pavilion, the Theme Pavilion, the Expo Culture Center, the Expo Center and Expo Boulevard, have all been completed, and construction and installation of supporting facilities within the Expo site are also almost completed. At present, the arrangement of exhibits is progressing smoothly.

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