2 | Monday, November 18, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO

Left: Major venues for the 1986 World Expo in Vancouver, Canada. Center: The Atomium hosted the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, Belgium. Right: A woodcut print shows the opening of the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. XINHUA PHOTOS How Expo 2010 sowed the seeds of success

Editor’s note: In “Footprint”, a Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, series of stories recalling important Shanghai event reinforced nation’s position on global stage Kew, in London. examples of China interacting with Wolfgang Stuppy, scientific cura­ the rest of the world, we follow the tor at the Botanic Garden of Ruhr­ country’s path over the past seven University Bochum in Germany, decades. who helped organize and source seeds for the pavilion when he By BO LEUNG in London worked at Kew, remembers the [email protected] excitement at the time, because “it was such an extraordinary idea” and n 1851, Chinese merchant Xu made people more aware of the Deqiong laid out his finest silk need to conserve plants. in Shanghai ahead of showing “For the Millennium Seed Bank to it during the Great Exhibition be represented at the World Expo in Iat Crystal Palace, in Hyde Park, Lon­ Shanghai was just incredible,” Stup­ don, a venue built specially to stage py said. “Internationally, everyone the first global expo. learned about the seed bank’s part­ The silks exhibited by Xu caused a nership, everyone learned about the sensation and were awarded gold importance of seeds and seed bank­ and silver medals. ing and they learned about our part­ China’s participation at the event ners in Kunming. They also learned was also captured by the British art­ that China is actually doing seed ist Henry Selous, who included a banking, which very few countries Chinese merchant in his painting do, so the country is really ahead in The Opening of the Great Exhibition. that respect.” The country took part in the event Stuppy said the Shanghai expo just after the First Opium War was “a huge stage to get our message (1839­42) as the Qing Dynasty across and attract important people (1644­1911) began opening up ports who could help us further … it was to trade, with foreign powers con­ only possible because of the collabo­ tinuing to press for greater access to ration with our Chinese partners.” Chinese markets. Loscertales said, “For a fast­grow­ Rana Mitter, professor of History As a mega­event gathering countries from around the world in Shanghai, Expo 2010 both ing and constantly evolving city, the and Politics of Modern China at the reflected and anticipated China’s ambition to build a community with a shared future expo was an endeavour that allowed University of Oxford, said: “To some the Shanghai government to catalyse extent, China’s presence at the 1851 for humankind.” renewal in the heart of the city, creat­ Crystal Palace exhibition was a Vicente G. Loscertales, secretary­general of the Bureau International des Exposition ing new green spaces and allowing product of the country being forced the development of cultural venues.” into the world. It was very different Almost a decade later, the legacy to Expo 2010 in Shanghai, when of the expo can be seen in Shanghai’s China was acting very much under urban transformation and econom­ its own power and inviting the ic and cultural development. world in. In that particular case (the Part of the site used for the event London exhibition) it was a dynasty is now occupied by the World Expo under siege that was trying to make Museum, which opened in 2017 and a case about itself to the new domi­ is the only such institution in the nant power in the world, which at world entirely dedicated to the his­ the time was Britain.” tory of expos. The museum was Xu could never have imagined approved by the BIE. that 151 years after exhibiting at Loscertales said: “Shanghai is Crystal Palace, China would become undoubtedly one of the greatest the world’s second­largest economy examples of a city transformed by a and Shanghai would go on to cele­ Clockwise from top: The Polish, German and Chinese pavilions at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The theme for the event, held on both sides of the World Expo. The beautiful parks brate winning the bid to hold Expo Huangpu River on a site with a total area twice the size of Monaco, was “Better City, Better Life”. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY along the Huangpu River, the muse­ 2010, becoming the first developing ums, including the World Expo country to hold an official exposi­ Museum, the city’s unrivaled trans­ tion. portation network and its cosmopol­ Shanghai was selected as host by 73 11.96 itan outlook — all of these were made the Bureau International des Exposi­ possible or buoyed by Expo 2010.” tion’s Member States during the million billion yuan The event was a “diplomatic suc­ organization’s 132nd General Assem­ Number of visitors to the six­month Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The Operating costs for the Shanghai event, the highest ever for such cess story” for China as a whole, bly in December 2002 at the Prince’s highest daily attendance was 1.03 million, with most people com­ an expo at the time. However, a profit of more than 1 billion yuan according to Loscertales, as it Palace of Monaco in Monte Carlo. ing from China. was made. improved relations with countries Vicente G. Loscertales, secretary­ worldwide. general of the BIE, said there were “As a mega­event gathering coun­ many reasons China’s bid beat those At the closing ceremony, then­ “It was also interesting to see how platforms for communication that and excitement during the prepara­ tries from around the world in from South Korea, Russia, Mexico premier Wen Jiabao described the many countries presented them­ engage the public around the theme tions and throughout the event. Shanghai, Expo 2010 both reflected and Poland. fair as “splendid”, adding that it “tru­ selves to China and the message and encourage the exchange of “The atmosphere in Shanghai was and anticipated China’s ambition to “China developed a very strong ly brought together people from they felt they wanted to convey,” ideas and experiences.” vibrant, with everyone — expo staff build a community with a shared candidature project for Expo 2010, around the globe”. Chappell said. Shanghai officials had high hopes members and volunteers, Chinese future for humankind,” he said. submitted a solid bid dossier to the Urso Chappell, a graphic designer Loscertales, from the BIE, said the for the 2010 event, and authorities at officials, international participants, Experts believe the expo rein­ BIE, and its Enquiry Mission went from the United States who runs “Better City, Better Life” theme dem­ national level devoted tremendous and the public — feeling tremendous forced Shanghai’s status as an very smoothly,” Loscertales said. ExpoMuseum, a website dedicated onstrated China’s “high level of resources and efforts to stage it. pride, joy and enthusiasm about the important economic, financial and “By playing to China’s strength as to the history of the Shanghai expo, interest in this globally relevant The Chinese Pavilion, known as event finally coming to life, and foreign trade center. an emerging economic powerhouse said the Beijing Olympics in 2008 issue”. the Oriental Crown, was the most about the world being there.” Mitter, from Oxford University, and to Shanghai’s position as a glob­ was a chance for the hosts to show “Considering all these factors, expensive and largest, costing more The fair attracted 246 countries said it was very important for al city open to the world, the cam­ the world what China had achieved countries felt that it was time for than $220 million and occupying and overseas organizations, setting a Shanghai to try to emphasize its leg­ paign successfully conveyed the and had become, but the Shanghai China to host a World Expo, and for over 71,000 square meters. record for international participa­ acy as a gateway to the world. strong will to bring China to the event was about the rest of the the world to gather, showcase itself Operating costs for the event were tion. “Much like the Olympics, such world, and the world to China.” world interacting with China while and cooperate in Shanghai.” 11.96 billion yuan ($1.7 billion at One of the most talked about and expos are chosen through an inter­ The Shanghai Expo was one of the impressing local audiences. According to the BIE, such expos today’s rates), the highest ever for visited pavilions was the United national process. Therefore, Shang­ most expensive and largest world Chappell, who has attended 11 are “unique global events based such an expo at the time, but it still Kingdom’s Seed Cathedral, designed hai being given this status was a big fairs held in the city, showcasing expos, believes the Shanghai event around international cooperation made a profit of more than 1 billion by Thomas Heatherwick, and indication that China was being China’s growing global influence as created a “new chapter” for the city and focused on a universal theme yuan. dubbed “the dandelion” by locals. recognized as a country very much the country flexed its soft­power where people could see how it had that brings the entire world together”. According to the BIE, total reve­ The six­story cube­like structure in the first tier of international trade muscles during the event. evolved, and it also renewed confi­ Loscertales said: “In the face of nue was 13 billion yuan, with 7.36 comprised 60,000 transparent rods, and commerce,” he said. Mitter add­ The six­month expo smashed dence in its capabilities. global challenges, expos create billion yuan coming from ticket each containing the seeds of differ­ ed that the next stage in the coun­ records for visitor numbers with more The theme for the event, held on awareness and mobilize citizens. sales and nearly 4 billion yuan from ent plants. The seeds were sourced try’s development will be moving than 73 million people, most of them both sides of the Huangpu River on a From the planning phase through to sponsorship. from the Kunming Institute of Bota­ from an export powerhouse to from China, attending. The highest site with a total area twice the size of the expos themselves and their aft­ Loscertales said the expo created a ny in Yunnan province, which is a developing a strong and self­con­ daily attendance was 1.03 million. Monaco, was “ Better City, Better Life”. ermaths, these events are major huge amount of curiosity, interest partner of the Millennium Seed tained economy.

Left: A digitalized version of Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, a masterpiece from the Song Dynasty (960­1279), is displayed at the Chinese Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. CHEN FEI / XINHUA Center: Two vas­ es from the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, depicting Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, are displayed at the Shanghai expo. CHENG MIN / XINHUA Right: Visitors buy Chinese carpets at the 1984 World Expo in New Orleans, United States. XINHUA