More than 1m visitors as of June 17 RIYADH - More than one million people have visited the Saudi Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010 which was opened to the public on May 1, according to the Chinese Embassy here. “As of June 17 over one million people had visited the Saudi Pavilion at the Expo, with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chinese leader Li Changchun among the most prominent visitors,” said Zhao Jian, an official in the embassy's political section. Zhao said that Chinese President Hu Jintao, who took part in the opening ceremony, has visited only a few pavilions and the Saudi Pavilion was one of them. “I would like to say that the Saudi Pavilion is one of the most popular in the Expo. It is especially well-known for its 1,600 sq. m. cinema screen, the world's largest,” he said. He said that the Saudi government awarded a China-Saudi Arabia round-trip air ticket to the one millionth visitor to the Saudi Pavilion. Visitors to the Shanghai Expo usually have to queue for up to nine hours before being able to visit the pavilion of their choice. “Although it requires a long wait, visitors do not regret having waited to visit the Saudi Pavilion. Instead, they are quite satisfied and excited after their visit,” Zhao said. The Expo in which more than 240 countries, organizations and other institutions from around the world are participating is a gala affair with the intermingling of the world's ideas, products, culture, science and technology. As many as 300,000 tickets were sold for the opening day alone, and China is expecting to play host to over 100 million visitors before the expo closes on Oct. 31. The current edition of the World Expo aims at probing into the future of urbanization and urban lives as well as the importance of improving the standard of living. The first World Expo was held in London in 1851. Xu Wei, spokesman of the Shanghai Expo 2010 which is being held under the theme “Better City, Better Life”, described the event as an enormous platform for cultural exchange between countries. Dr. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, Executive Director for the Saudi Pavilion in the Shanghai Expo, said the national pavilion is built on an area of 7,600 sq. m. and is the second largest structure after the China Pavilion in terms of area and height, adding that it is a unique architectural model among a cluster of international pavilions. The colossal bowl-shaped Saudi Pavilion has been staging cultural programs for different age groups, aimed at bridging relations between the Kingdom and rest of the world, Al-Ghamdi said. “The Shanghai World Expo will serve as a platform for the Kingdom to have a multi-faceted exchange with people from all over the world and with the Chinese people in particular,” he added. The Kingdom is promoting various investment opportunities for businessmen in both Saudi Arabia and China, he said. “There will be a mutual exchange of experience and know-how of the most effective urban practices,” he added. The pavilion's structure is the result of the teamwork of designers and architects from China and Saudi Arabia. Following the country's acceptance of China's invitation to participate in the Expo, an international architectural competition was organized for the design of the Saudi Pavilion which included architectural firms from the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and China. Chinese designers emerged as strong competitors and won the competition. At the development stage of the winning design, Saudi and Chinese architects worked together until the final design was decided upon. “I am delighted with the overall standard of the Chinese team of designers. The ideas employed in the Saudi Pavilion design were creative, brilliant and dynamic,” Al- Ghamdi said. The palm garden on the roof of the pavilion is a reflection of Saudi identity, which also serves to promote dialogue on environment. Elements of both Saudi and Chinese landscapes are integrated into this garden, which symbolize Saudi-Chinese bilateral ties. Shanghai's humid and rainy climate posed an obstacle for planting palm trees in the garden. However, the difficulty was overcome with the adoption of sophisticated agricultural techniques. It took one year for the expo's research team both in Saudi Arabia and in China to decide upon the best and the most effective way to replant full-grown palm trees in the humid climate of Shanghai. In the end, 150 palm trees were found in southern China and replanted for the event. Parts of the pavilion have rich Arabic geometrical latticework. The pavilion also displays traditional crafts and special collections of handcrafts from Saudi Arabia. About 50 folk dancers representing various parts of the Kingdom take part in a number of activities in the plaza of the pavilion on a daily basis. Before leaving the pavilion, visitors are treated to traditional Saudi hospitality and are given a gift to remind them of their visit.
