Monday, November 5, 2018 CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION
8 CHINA INTERNATIONAL IMPORT EXPO Clover design signifies flowering of new era
Venue’s four leafs highlight event’s strength of diversity and unity of purpose
By WANG YING in Shanghai [email protected]
Like the host city of Shanghai, worldfamous for its mix of tradi tional Chinese and global culture, the main venue for the China Inter national Import Expo also offers par ticipants a similar feel, said a chief designer of the expo center. Entering the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), white magnolias, the city flower of Shanghai, are on prominent dis play as well as traditional Chinese ceilings, wooden sculptures, gar dens in the traditional style, and the CIIE’s mascot Jinbao, a giant panda wearing a scarf, adds a wel coming touch. “The convention center has blended new and modern Chinese features,” said Fu Haicong, chief architect of the East China Architec tural Design & Research Institute, a unit of leading Chinese architecture firm Arcplus Group responsible for the center’s design. The institute also designed one of the artificial islands that connect the world’s longest sea bridge, the Hong KongZhuhaiMacao Bridge that opened in late October. “For example, the building looks The National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai lights up the night sky. The sixday China International Import Expo opened at the center on Monday. DING TING / XINHUA like a fourleaf clover from a bird’seye view. In Western culture, building into four parts with the ited to 43 meters due to its vicinity area of 1.47 million square meters, All of the center’s 16 exhibition enhanced the NECC’s handling it is a rare variation of the common south square as the main entrance of to Shanghai Hongqiao Internation almost 2.5 times that of the Shang halls are huge — the 13 main halls capabilities,” said Fu. threeleaf clover and believed to the building featuring 24 columns, al Airport, which is only 5 kilome hai Tower, the nation’s tallest build are 28,000 sq m each and the other According to Fu, since Shanghai bring good luck,” Fu said. “The which refer to the 24 solar terms in ters away. The design also has to ing and the secondhighest in the three are more than 30 meters high. was announced as the host of the shape of the building is also in line the traditional Chinese calendar. take into consideration the terminal world. “However, due to the special CIIE late last year, a more than 200 with Chinese architecture’s essence The form also has practical rea station of Metro Line 2, which sits In total, it contains 400,000 sq m requirements for the CIIE, which is member team from the East China that seeks harmony and symmetry.” sons. Efficiency is a major concern right in the center of the land, as for an indoor exhibition space not only merely a grand exhibition Architectural Design & Research The fourleaf clover has become a considering high land costs in well as the complex road and traffic together with 100,000 sq m outdoor for imports, the building has ear Institute team has been working symbol of the center, which adorns Shanghai. According to the require conditions nearby. space leading to the north square, marked spaces for bilateral and against the clock on renovation to signs, pavements, decorations and ments of the organizers, the build Jointly developed by the Ministry and it is regarded as the world’s larg multilateral talks, and various fulfill the goal of “making every cor lightening. ing should be able to offer four of Commerce and the Shanghai est single block building for an exhi forums. ner of the exhibition as colorful as The four leaves also point to four exhibition areas, each 100,000 municipal government, the four bition, which makes it an ideal “A threemonth renovation start possible with Shanghai characteris different directions and divide the square meters, and its height is lim leaf clover building has a gross floor location for the CIIE, said Fu. ing at the end of May has greatly tics.” Many options to help visitors get there Navigation app
Arriving and leaving the NECC gives users a real Passengers arriving at Shanghai’s two airports — Hongqiao and Pudong, can find a service center after clearing customs within 500 meters in any feel for location direction to answer enquiries. • By car The expo venue has space to park By WANG YING in Shanghai more than 4,000 vehicles, according [email protected] to Fu Haicong, chief architect of the East China Architectural Design & With the help of a “secret Research Institute responsible for weapon”, visitors no longer have Through the appli the design of the expo venue. But to to worry about navigating the ensure efficiency, only cars with spe world’s largest single building cation, we look to cial permit issued by the organizers for conventions and exhibitions are allowed to enter the venue and during the China International make the CIIE a surrounding areas during the expo. Import Expo in Shanghai. digital expo.” • By public transportation To guide you in the right Two 8meterhigh elevated pedes direction is a navigation appli Zhou Yang, a manager with the trian walkways in the west and east cation freshly developed by Liu information technology depart connect the building with nearby Erwu, a professor specializing ment of the National Exhibition and public parking, buses, taxies and in information and communi Convention Center (Shanghai) metro lines, which means people can cation from Tongji University easily travel from and to downtown and his 20plusstrong team. Shanghai or even nearby Yangtze A service center for the China International Import Expo at Hongqiao International Airport does brisk business. The app, or Naviguy, for navi on, according to Liu. River Delta region cities. CHEN FEI / XINHUA gation at the National Exhibi The app is the outcome of an • By metro tion and Convention Center enthusiastic and highly moti Visitors can take the metro to reach FROM SHANGHAI HONGQIAO (Shanghai), is part of the CIIE vated team, Zhou said. One the NECC by getting off at the East INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT official application that can be member of the design team Qu Xujing Station on Line 2 located in Take Metro Line 2, get off at East downloaded onto smartphones Xinyu went through three pairs the center of the NECC or Zhuguang Xujing Station and get out of the sta in advance. of shoes in three months as he Road Station on Line 17. tion from exit 9. Because of the special shape walked around the NECC • By taxi and size of the expo venue, visi numerous times to measure There are three taxi pickup/drop FROM PUDONG INTERNATIONAL tors can easily get lost at the 1.47 and confirm exact locations in off points near the NECC; the P1 park AIRPORT millionsquaremeter mega the exhibition center. ing lot (taxi west dropoff point), Taxi: Queuing time is about 3 min structure, and signs, though The app is also viable outside Shenwu Road (taxi east dropoff point utes to get into a taxi during offpeak helpful, may not offer accurate the exhibition center. and ridehailing dropoff point) and hours; queuing time is about 20 min guidance, neither can the tradi “For visitors who have com P5 parking lot (taxi pickup point). utes to get into a taxi during peak tional positioning resolutions pleted their tour of the CIIE, Service for pickup point is from 3 hours. such as GPS and WiFi in such a they can continue to use the pm to 8 pm. Time: 65 minutes (offpeak) 95 complicated environment, said application for traffic guidance • By bus minutes (peak) Liu. to their destinations in Shang Visitors traveling from and to Shang Fare: Approximately 215 yuan “As such, a navigation appli hai, either by public transporta hai’s downtown can choose Bus Line 71, ($ 31) (day), 277 yuan (night) cation in a complex indoor envi tion, taxi or other modes of an express bus line that runs between Meglev + Metro Line 2: Take the ronment with stateofart transport,” said Zhou. North Huangpi Road (near Shanghai’s meglev from Pudong International technology is required,” said The app also includes func downtown center, the People’s Square) Airport to Longyang Road, transfer Jinbao, the expo mascot, greets people at Pudong International Airport in Zhou Yang, a manager with the tions allowing visitors to pre and Shenkun Road terminal. Shuttle Metro Line 2 to East Xujing Station, Shanghai. CHEN FEI / XINHUA information technology depart view online exhibition halls, bus runs between the Shenkun Road and take exit 9 to reach the NECC. ment of the NECC (Shanghai). find out details of the exhibi terminal and the NECC’s P6 parking lot Time: 90 minutes Bus: and reach the NECC from exit 5. According to Liu, the app’s tion, access highspeed free from 8 am to 8 pm. Bus Line 71 also Fare: 50 yuan (meglev) + 6 yuan Airport Line 1: This line brings pas Time: 95 minutes special algorithm has taken all WiFi and get realtime transla operates an extended service to the (metro) = 56 yuan sengers directly to Hongqiao Airport, Fare: 22 yuan (bus) + 5 yuan (met the positioning elements into tion between Chinese and NECC’s P1 parking lot from 3 pm to 7 Metro Line 2: Take the east exten and the NECC is about 2.4 kilometers ro) =27 yuan consideration to provide users English, Zhou added. pm, but at a lower frequency. sion line of Metro Line 2 from Pu by walk. CIIE Line: There is also tailored precise positioning with virtual “Through the application, we dong International Airport to Guang Time: 100 minutes bus route to take passengers from reality features. look to make the CIIE a digital FROM SHANGHAI HONGQIAO lan Road, transfer Metro Line 2 to Fare: 30 yuan Pudong International Airport to the Naviguy can direct the way expo, allowing visitors, exhibit RAILWAY STATION East Xujing Station, and take exit 5 to Airport Line 2: This line brings NECC for free. even in extreme conditions ors and buyers to get all the rel Take an overpass connecting the reach the NECC. passengers to downtown Jing’an Time: 60 minutes (offpeak); 95 when the phone is on airplane evant information and secure railway station with the expo venue Time: 105 minutes Temple, then passengers can transfer minutes (peak) mode as long as it has the posi services through a smart and it takes around 24 minutes by foot. Fare: 9 yuan to Metro Line 2 to East Xujing Station Fare: free tioning and bluetooth options phone,” Zhou said.