Re: World Expo 2010

Beijing is too polluted for the 2008 Olympics. Would Shanghai be any
better in 2010?


On Oct 27, 9:52 am, PaPaPeng <PaPaP...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
World Expo alive with infinite vitality
+ - 15:30, October 26, 2007http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91345/6291536.html

There are only about 900 days to go before the World 2010 Expo opens
in Shanghai on May 1st of 2010, which will run through to October 31st
in the year.

World Expo implies an exposition of people worldwide and its success
hinges chiefly on the participation of general public and, if the
general public wants to partake in it validly and efficaciously, it is
imperative from them to get to know its genuine connotations.

To date, 156 years have elapsed since the First World Expo debuted in
London in 1851 as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All
Nations. It has by no means been accidental for such a gigantic
international event to endure and remain in great demand for the past
one and a half centuries. The fundamental reason, however, lies in its
civic virtues.

The character of civic virtues represents the most rudimentary
hallmark of the World Expo, which contain three layers of distinct,
vivid implications.

The first layer of implications is to put on display the outcome of
the progress for human civilization. In retrospect of the preceding
consecutive World Expos, people can distinctly recall new feats or
achievements of human civilizations in various historical periods,
such as steam engine, steamship, crane, steelmaking technology, seabed
cable, gramophone, film projector, electric light, elevator,
television set, tap recorder and aerospace craft, which were all first
exhibited at a string of world expos.

The primary function of the Word Expo is designed, however, to present
the outcome of the progress of human civilization. In a continuous
process of the development and progress of human civilization, to
represent the latest achievements in this regard to the general public
is, beyond any doubt, a progress to prompt and push forward the
progress of human civilization.

The second-layer implication is to bring forth issues confronting
human civilization. Take "Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan", which was held in
Nagoya, Japan from March to September of 2005. Its theme was "Nature's
Wisdom". This is an excellent theme indeed, as the theme indicated
that the humanity has to bear and subject itself to punishment from
the nature for lots of stupidities it has done in violation of its law
ever since the first Industrial Revolution in Britain.

"Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan" was, nevertheless, designed to guide people
worldwide in an endeavor to know still better and respect the law of
the nature in the new 21st century and admonish them not to consider
themselves wise if they act otherwise, as the law of the great nature
also give expression to wits and sagacity.

In view of "World Expo 2010 Shanghai, which is set to be held the east
China metroplis from May 1 to October 31 that year, it is to theme on
the city, titled "City: Making Life More Beautiful", affiliated with a
sub-theme: "Blending of diverse culture in the city." This has been
the first time ever to take cities as its theme in the entire history
of World Expo. At present, it is the right opportune time to propose
such a theme nevertheless, as the speed of global urbanization has
greatly accelerated since the start of the 20th century, and the
current global urban population makes up almost half the total global
population.

The question of urbanization is particularly pressing and protruding
in China today. Its urban population has shot up to 43 percent of the
national total from merely 17 percent some three decades, to be
specific, in 1978 and, furthermore, the ensuing two to three decades
is likely to be an era with a high growth rate for urbanization.

As an epitome of human civilization and progress, urbanization has
incurred a host of problems for the humanity. And how to make the life
of people beautiful and cozy, the crux of matter is to cope with such
issues brought about by urbanization, as those relating to (urban)
traffic congestion, air and environment pollution and an acute
shortage of water resources. The life cannot be made more more
beautiful (or comfortable) without the settlement of these knotty
problems.

The third-layer implication is to spur the humanity to a search for
the solution of an ocean of problems facing the humanity. It will take
some seven years' time from acquiring the right for sponsorship of
such a large-scale, comprehensive World Expo to its opening.
Meanwhile, it will call for an additional six-month period for
numerous participants to offer bright, workable ideas focused on the
theme along with a few "amazing notions from tour de force."

Inspection tours of visitors from far and wide around the globe to
varied grand exhibition halls precisely represents a process of great
exchanges, which result in great wisdom; and this wisdom is precisely
imperative for the humanity to tackle its tough, headache issues.

By Wu Jianmin, president of the China Foreign Affairs University in
Beijing and concurrently chairman of the Bureau of International
Expositions (BIE), and translated by People's Daily Online


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