Through private channels, we were given "preview" tickets to tour inside before it officially opened. Some of the buildings were fantastically constructed. The UK pavilion sported a porcupine look, with seeds from different plants at the ends of the thousands of glass shards. The Latvian pavilion was disco-ballesque, with colorful mirror plates shimmering in the sun. In comparison, the US one spelled practical and homely, with brand giants like GE and Chevron plastered on the inside walls.
The Expo fever spread to the Chinese countryside as well. As a family, we biked to a nearby village to get away from the city. As we were eating our ice cream at a little store, a group of villagers surrounded us. Two men were sporting bright red arm bands and proudly announced that they were "Expo representatives". Their duties were to "welcome the foreigners and keep the peace" to make sure that the Expo runs smoothly. Mostly, they just lovingly fingered the leather seat of my dad's professional bike and tried to convince my mom that the Sprite, with September 2007 as its expiry date, was safe to drink.
Let's just hope that the party is everything Shanghai, especially the villagers, had imagined it to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment