The theme of the pavilion during the Expo was "Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development". To enter the pavilion visitors must ascend the giant staircase on the north-facing side. The sheltered courtyard space within the four main columns provides a large open space for waiting crowds. The pavilion display highlights is divided into three parts: "The Footprints", "The Dialogue" and "The Vision". Visitors are taken by lift to the uppermost level for the first exhibition before working their way down the building for the subsequent segments.
Highlight 1: The Footprints (Core Exhibition) This first part highlights the wisdom of Chinese urban practices in
Chinese history, from the achievements of China's reforms in the late 1970s to the urban experiences of
imperial China.
Pre-show Hall This hall features iconic symbols of a city.
Story of Spring In this exhibition, two seven-minute films are alternately shown in the 1,071 square metre 700-seat theatre of the pavilion. The films are shown on three 22m-long by 7.5m-high projection screens and a 24m-diameter overhead dome. Both films reflect the social and urban impact of
China's economic transformation. •
Thematic movie 1: "The Road to our Beautiful Life" () directed by
Lu Chuan highlights the developments of modern China in the last 30 years through the eyes of four generations of the same family. The film begins with a countryside scene showing an elderly father and his young adult son facing each other. The father is from a humble peasant background and symbolizes tradition, wisdom and the patriarch of the family. The son then walks away and begins to sprint around the rural landscape towards the city, soon to be followed by numerous others. Although the son grew up with his peasant father, he moves into the city as a migrant worker together with his future wife. This symbolises the start of China's urban development and nation-building in the 1970s. The son represents the courage and unrelenting spirit of his generation and the great achievements made in urban development in China in the last few decades. Next, the grandson is introduced as a growing child in the 1980s who emerges from a
revolving door as an adult in the mid-2000s. He was brought up in the city and has lived in a developing urban environment all his life. The
Sichuan earthquake is brought to the fore when the son witnesses the tragedy personally. The son's generation has absorbed the wisdom and knowledge of his father and grandfather, taking a courageous China into a world of globalisation. The final scene features an image of a fetus and the infant great-grandson interacting with his great-grandfather. The great-grandson symbolises new life, hope and the future of China. •
Thematic movie 2: "Harmonious China" () directed by
Zheng Dasheng integrates three
Confucius quotations with the themes of change, diversity and the future in China. The initial scene contains the film's tile rendered in
Chinese calligraphy. A simple brush-stroke then gradually changes to show a night scene of Shanghai's
Pudong skyline. The film quotes Confucius:
"What passes away is, perhaps, like his. Day and night it never lets up." A scene of an average Chinese family's living room changing over the years is shown with scenes of China's urban development on the two side screens from the 1970s to the present day. The next quote
"The gentleman agrees with others without being an echo" is displayed with a panoramic scene of the heart of
Beijing from
Jingshan Park. The modern Chinese city and its people are shown along with the lavish wedding of a young couple, China's modern architecture and images from a Chinese theatre performance. The last quote ''"Follow my heart's desire without overstepping the line"'' highlights the future decades through an idyllic lakeside scene rendered as a
Chinese painting.
Reminiscence River of Wisdom • The Scroll: The Scroll is
Zhang Zeduan's
Song dynasty masterpiece
Along the River During the Qingming Festival and re-adapted as a large-scale 3D
animation. The animation is projected onto a massive screen which is 128 metres long and 6.5 metres high and features all of the original painting's 1068 figures as well as boats, vehicles and animals. All the characters move within the landscape and perform their everyday tasks. The animation also features a 2-minute-long night scene. • National Treasures: • In May 2010:
Qiu Ying's copy of
Along the River During the Qingming Festival. • From June 2010 to October 2010, except 1 October: The
No.1 Bronze Chariot and Horse from the Mausoleum of the
Qin Shi Huangdi Terracotta Army is displayed. The statue features a four-horse chariot and a chariot master all cast in bronze with sophisticated precision and technique. The statue is life-sized and made to the correct proportions. Along with the rest of the terracotta army, it was buried underground for 2,000 years until it was unearthed in 1980. • On 1 October 2010:
Zhang Zeduan's genuine
Along the River During the Qingming Festival. • Crystals of Civilisation: Sixteen individual ancient Chinese artifacts are displayed behind security glass. The pieces range from
porcelain to
bronzes to
models of Chinese architecture.
Land of Hope A world of greenness symbolizes the harmony between the people as well as that between Man and Nature in future Chinese cities. The Chinese-style development strategy of urban-rural integration is a key message here. • Green Homeland: Dazzling hanging plants, illuminated shade trees and simulated wetland represent the urban ideal of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. • Under the Same Roof: Created by Artist David Niles and Niles Creative Group. A 2-minute multimedia experience shows the "ideal neighbourhood" of future cities. Improved quality of life in modern society does little to help bond a neighbourhood together. The show applies a series of interesting interactions with magical scene shifts to show the breaking of "walls" between neighbors and life "under the same roof" in future cities. • Rural-Urban Duet: The futuristic "bamboo grove" indicates both future cities surrounded by Nature and healthy rural-urban linkages.
Children's Aspiration Highlight 2: The Dialogue (The Ride) With an area of 3400 sq.m., excursion trains on a 340m-long track provide visitors with a 6-minute ride exploring urban wisdom and the dialogue between the past and present. The exhibits include "Gates of History", "Stone Bridges", "Dougong Matrix", "Tunnel of Planning" "Heavenly Garden and Garden City".
Highlight 3: The Vision (Thematic Exhibition) An exploration of a lower-carbon future in China. It shows how China is inspired by nature and will develop innovative solutions to meet the challenges of urban growth and environmental protection. The exhibits are represented simply by one of the four main mathematical operations:
addition,
subtraction,
multiplication and
division (+, -, ×, ÷) ;Warning from Nature The minus sign represents that reliance on fossil fuel shall be reduced and efficiency in energy consumption shall be improved to reduce waste. ;Proper Exploration The addition sign represents that increase of carbon emission is threatening global environment and hampering the development of human society. ;Measured Consumption Individual actions of reduced consumption can have a great effect, given the population of the country. ;Return to Simplicity The multiplication sign represents that individual actions can add up to a great effect, given the large population in the country. ;Fountain of Illumination The division sign represents that the ambitious forest
carbon sink plan, if divided by a large population, is a rational target. ==During the Expo==