The longest subway system on the planet? Check. Two new airport terminals? Check. Upgrades to roads, parks and bridges? Check. Redevelopment of The Bund and the cruise terminals? Check. RMB300 billion, a decade of preparations and one World Expo later, Shanghai has undergone a major facelift, with changes now visible ... Read More
With Shanghai Expo all wrapped up, the city is breathing a collective sigh of relief. However, a wave of nostalgia washed over the City Weekend office and we thought it would be worthwhile to look back and remember the best, worst and just plain weird things that happened over the ... Read More
The world show that turned the city of Shanghai upside down has finally closed its curtains. Last night Shanghai Expo 2010 was finally brought to an end and capped off with a closing ceremony involving all the Expo pavilions.
After 184 days and 73 million guests (a new Expo record ... Read More
As Shanghai Expo 2010 comes to an end, it seems that every man and his dog is heading to the site to get one last glimpse of the “world’s most successful Expo”. With crowds of 400,000 – 500,000 people expected to flock there everyday until it ends, it ... Read More
With just a week to go, the Shanghai World Expo has reached its target of 70 million visitors. This was the number predicted back in 2001 when event organizers first applied to host the event.
According to the Shanghai Daily, more than 837,000 people passed through turnstiles in the ... Read More
As Expo heads into its final weeks, pavilions are gearing up for decommissioning–the process by which countries remove their pavilions and return the plot of land to its original state. And so the pavilions are fervently searching for new homes.
Poland is shipping everything back home and Turkey is ... Read More
Here's a bit of morbid Expo news. The 15 giant salamanders that were on display at the Shaanxi Pavilion have died due to the stressful living conditions at the event.
According to the People's Daily, hot weather, throngs of people, camera flashes and inexperienced carers were all factors ... Read More
A powerful practice has swept across the expansive reaches of the Expo, consuming all who is exposed to it. Pin trading is the name, and all have fallen. What is being worshipped? Little pieces of metal, coming in a range of all shapes and sizes, beauty and grossness. Who are ... Read More
Want to host your own world fair? Gordon Linden has written a new book, aptly titled "The Expo Book", about the ins and outs of running an Expo. We chatted to the author about his work and where he got his inspiration from.
How did you come up with the ... Read More
The China Pavilion will be reopened to the public, one month after Expo closes, on December 1. It is one of the few structures that will remain on site after the mammoth event ends. At a press conference on Wednesday, organisers have said that renovations will be performed during the ... Read More
Expo has been billed as a cultural bridge between China and the world, but with countries pouring in millions of dollars, there is a bottom line. Pavilions large and small have turned these six months into a veritable trade fair and stuff is flying off the shelves.
Inside the Chile ... Read More
The coveted title of Miss Expo 2010 was awarded last night to the beautiful Miss French Polynesia. It was a tough competition at the Porterhouse Bar and Restaurant with seven babes of the world battling it out for the title. Second place was awarded to Miss Philippines while Miss Ireland ... Read More
Tonight is the Grand Final of the Miss Expo Beauty competition. Seven babes of the world have had their wit, talent and knowledge of their countries tested through seven heats and are now gearing up for the final at the Porterhouse Bar and Restaurant. The finalists competing tonight are Miss ... Read More
We chat to Paulius Staniunas, founder of Exponights.com. He gives us a bit of inside goss about the other side of Expo and his adventures of shooting the places Haibao doesn’t go.
Exponights.com is a website for Expo parties and photographs. Where did the idea come from ... Read More
As we reported earlier in the week, Gerry Hofstetter has been turning famous Shanghai landmarks into works of art as a part of the Expo's "Swiss Night of Colors". On Tuesday night the artist illuminated the iconic Peace Hotel. Here's some of the magic caught on camera.
This ... Read More
Iconic Shanghai landmarks are being illuminated by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter to mark today's 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and China. The "Swiss Night of Colors" by the world-renowned light artist began last night and will run until Wednesday as a part of Expo celebrations.
Last night ... Read More
If you’re a sucker for America’s Next Top Model, beauty pageants, or just generally events with lots of beautiful women, head to the Porterhouse Bar and Restaurant situated in Zone C (next to the Irish Pavilion) at the World Expo site this evening at 8pm. Because tonight kicks ... Read More
Kevin Dolgin is American independent publishing house McSweeney’s man on the street in Paris, globetrotter and author of The Third Tower Up From the Road (Santa Monica Press). He recently paid a visit to Expo and lived to tell the tale.
What drew you to Expo?
I'm a ... Read More
A lot of lip service has been paid to Expo’s “Better City, Better Life,” theme, but Houtan Park is one of its real green achievements.
The 14-hectare landscape project running along the edge of the Huangpu River, Pudong side, was recently awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects General ... Read More
It’s already caught our eye for its daily colorful performances and energetic dance shows, but Thursday August 12 will see something extra special at the Thailand Pavilion.
The Queen of Thailand, H.M. Queen Sikirit celebrates her birthday on Thursday, and it’s also Mother’s Day in Thailand ... Read More
Shanghai’s Apple flagship store finally opened in July and Expo pavilions and tech companies have jumped on the pingguo bandwagon, creating apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch to enhance the Expo experience.
The official World Expo app is the best source for on-the-ground Expo information. It’ll give ... Read More
When it’s 40 degrees in Shanghai, with humidity near 100 percent, Iceland is the only place to be. Its pavilion is designed to look like a giant block of glacial ice and the interior temperature is kept at a steady 21 degrees Celsius – perfectly simulating an Icelandic summer.
Inside ... Read More
The Czech Republic Pavilion is one of the surprises of the Expo.
One reason is word of mouth is creeping round about a very unique exhibition inside, which is the weirdest, and by far most extraordinary thing we’ve seen at Expo so far--a machine which reads your mind and ... Read More
The crazy lines which snake around this oddball pavilion attest to its incredible popularity, and unlike the neighboring Spain pavilion, no one walks away disappointed. Moving sidewalks whisk you through, but you can jump off if you see something interesting–which you will, a lot. There’s the wacky slide ... Read More
While most Expo pavilions are grouped together by region, the southeast corner of Zone A in Pudong is home to a seemingly random handful of pavilions. Somehow, Iran, North Korea and Myanmar ended up neighbors, leading this section to be dubbed Expo’s “Axis of Evil,” adapting the famous Bushism ... Read More