The fairgrounds sprawl over 1,300 acres, twice the size of the historic world fairs held in
Since the mid-20th century, world fairs have lost much of their luster as air travel, television and the Internet became more efficient means of introducing people to new ideas.
But most Chinese don’t have the wherewithal to travel abroad, so for them, the World Expo might be their most personal encounter with other cultures. Chinese are expected to make up 95 percent of the 70 million visitors anticipated during the six-month run, from
“”The Olympics was
Participating countries are building lavish pavilions.
“”
The pavilion designs are whimsical. The most highly anticipated, that of
The Israeli pavilion looks like a giant seashell; the Spanish, a wicker basket; the
More than 180 countries are participating. To ensure that nobody failed to show up, the Chinese provided
Out of deference to the host, none of the pavilions is larger than
In
“”This is our culture. We know how to mobilize in a way that you (Americans) could never pull off,”” said
Not everybody in
“”The expo site contained very polluting factories that did not belong on very valuable riverfront land in the center of the city. Removing the ugly flyover bridge on the Bund gave it at least partly its old appearance back,”” said
Although security will be tight for the expo,
“”Compared with the Olympics, the expo will have a richer culture,”” said Zhu Yonglei, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination. “”It will be more interesting.””