Second Impression of Shanghai Expo Site
By Jian Shuo Wang on 2009-05-11 22:29 · Expo 2010This is a follow up article after my previous article: First Impression of Shanghai Expo Site
The other day, I visited the Shanghai Expo Site with the Australia Pavilion Group. Before I entered the site, I took a picture of the current Shanghai Expo Land site:
This is the picture of the site on May 9, 2009. If you still remember, in the previous article, I posted a similar photo from a little bit higher than this view point, you will find out the building behind changed a lot.
Photo of February 2009
From there, I started my journey of exploration.
The Entrance to the Site
To my surprise, the entrance of the whole Shanghai Expo Construction Site is actually behind the building shown on the picture. You go deep into the back of the Shanghai Expo Land building, and there is a gate. I thought beyond the gate is a bigger parking lot. It turned out that it IS the actual entrance to the site. Obviously the check at the gate was very serious, and only identified vehicles can enter the site. I always wanted to drive into the expo site myself. Now it seems to be a mission impossible. If you want to explore the Expo Site, you’d better find someone working inside. There is another entrance at the west of the site (on the Pudong South Road) and it was also guarded.
What’s Inside
The Expo site now is still pretty empty. The roads are ready and the permanent buildings like China Pavilion, the Expo Center, and Theme Pavilion were already in good shape. Here are some photos of the buildings under construction.
Theme Pavilion
Below is the outside of the Theme Pavilion.
The Theme Pavilion is north-west direction on the west side of the Expo Blvd.
“Pardon for my appearance” - the theme pavilion is still surrounded by temp power lines, and other construction site.
The Performance Center
The Expo Performance Center is at the north of Pudong side of the Expo, and east of Expo Blvd. It is huge inside - 18,000 people stage will be installed.
The Japan Pavilion
The Japan Pavilion just get started. As you see from the following picture, they just started to build the elevator.
The China Pavilion
The China Pavilion was structually completed long time ago, and they are installing facade for the huge building. It is supposed to be red, and now it is still pure gray.
Other Buildings
There are many other buildings scattered in the Shanghai Expo Site that I cannot recognize what it is. Let’s wait until the Expo starts.
Surrounding Areas
Leaving the expo site, you enters into the city, and it is, just as inside, another construction site. Look at the South Pudong Road - maybe one of the worst road today, but it will be turned into one of the best one in the near future, when all the construction is completed.
Anyway, the Haibao welcomes you despite of the temp difficulties for the city.
11 Comments
On the other hand, Jianshuo I hope you can have some influence to really lift Shanghai City's image. Maybe you can write to city government asking it to pond the media to raise residents' levels of civilization by giving Dos and Don'ts. I know Shanghai City is very keen on improving its economic development by allowing billions $$ of worth buidlings to be erected while I rarely hear the goverment or its people talking about raising its ethic levels. Don't get me wrong, I'm saying this out of kind sugestions instead of hard criticism. I live in a very nice area of Jingan District, but still I can't believe by early mornings how badly the streets are littlered with trash, styroform or plastic food containers and cigarette butts and worse yet spitted on. Yes, I've seen street signs using slogans to tell people not to spit on the streets, but no one ever pays attention to them. Why can't the city start to fine folks who litter streets from spitting or tossing litter like they do in Singapore? Every time I hear people clearing their throats, I want to tell them not to spit on the floor being they on the streets or inside buildings, but almost always they do. One time we were sitting in a taxi when the driver start to clear his throat, my girl friend sitting next to him quickly pass out some tissues to him, but he rolled down the window to spit. My girl friend kindly told him he should use tissues instead, his answer was, " it doesn't matter". Sitting in the rear, I said it matters because the as the car sped, the water droplets may very well be blown to the back seat. UGH!!
I have mentioned this spitting and littering problems to some local people, and I was astonished by thier feedbacks, " This is how Chinese do and if you can't stand it, don't stay in this country".
I realize litter and spitting problems have been in existance for many long years, but that doesn't mean it can be eradicated.
TW
When is the ticket go on sale for the public? I'm planning to buy my ticket in advance for my parent who will be visiting me next year. They are so excited to take part in this Expo. They've been visiting Shanghai for the past few years. They find Shanghai very exciting because it keep on growing everyday. Every time they come something changed :-)
That will waste lands ,waste money ,etc. Why can't we hold the expo in the public
buildings ,such as university's gym and Beijing Olympic buildings ??!!
To my surprise and angry, some will be destoried after the expo , a big waste ! Is China very rich now? Just make GDP rising ?
Spitting can become a customary habit and one very hard to break.
I agree. Spitting is a habit and a very bad one, but it's not an addiction and so can be done away with. If enough people show thier disapprovals and discomfort to the spitter, he/she should get the message. I once ran into a guy who spit on the floor of a supermarket, I asked him if he would like people to spit in front of his house, he scurried away without uttering a word. We are entitled to a cleaner environment, and so to those who spoil it we ought to condemn them.
TW