Shanghai’s 2010 Expo: the ’Economic Olympics’
Hosting a world expo was once a big deal. From London in 1851 to Chicago in 1893, these fairs put cities at the center of the world stage, just as Olympics and world cups do today. But today, within the West, the expo is the Rodney Dangerfield of major events.One reason they "don#39;t get no respect" is that host cities – not to knock Knoxville, Tenn. – haven#39;t always been top-tier ones in recent decades. So it#39;s not surprising that the 2010 expo hasn#39;t gotten much attention in the West. That#39;s too bad, because this one, in Shanghai, is unusually ambitious.
Obviously, it won#39;t match the Beijing Games as a symbol of China#39;s rising importance. But just as the Olympic opening ceremonies gave the world a glitzy tour of China#39;s past, the expo will offer an important glimpse into its future.
Two story lines are emerging:
1. Shanghai: perfectly cast
Since the days of London#39;s Crystal Palace exhibition in 1851, world#39;s fairs have provided visitors with two things. First, a global perspective via displays of goods from around the world. Second, a taste of the future via displays of new inventions and state-of-the-art machines and structures (Gustave Eiffel built his famous tower for a Paris exposition). As a former and now restored global metropolis, Shanghai has a distinctly cosmopolitan setting replete with futuristic objects, such as its first-in-the-world, ultra-high-speed magnetic levitation train.
2. The expo#39;s urban impact
The city has expanded enormously in recent years. Much of the action is centered in formerly undeveloped Pudong (East Shanghai), which is now home to some of the world#39;s tallest buildings. The national pavilions that will be the heart of the expo will be located on the same side of river as those skyscrapers, but there have been important expo-related developments across the water in Puxi (West Shanghai), also. Puxi is famous for "The Bund," its riverfront lined with elegant neoclassical structures. The expo may finally link the often separate worlds of Puxi and Pudong. Indeed, its theme is "Better City, Better Life." It even features an "urban best practices area."上海2010年世博会是世界经济的奥林匹克，世博无疑对上海乃至整个中国的'经济发展提供了新的动能。对于我国经济的长足兴盛发展，我们有什么理由不骄傲自豪呢！http://www.cnrencai.com/
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