Chinese Pavilion

On my last full day in Shanghai I make the effort to go to the last remaining section of the Expo centre still open to the public - while the rest of the site is being pulled down and replaced by housing the China Pavilion is still bringing in thousands of visitors a day!! I am one of the crowd today and I was not sure what to expect from the experience but for the entry price of 20y perhaps I had visions of displays on the city of the future and sustainable living… Well… I was stunned by the wonder of what has been created here - the China Pavilion is a modern wonder which captures the imagination from your first view of it towering above its surroundings from the subway stop… It resembles a stack of wooden blocks set up like a pagoda of sorts, but as you approach it the might of the pillars becomes clear - it is HUGE. The entrance has lots of information on sustainable living laid out in a creative and interactive way, capturing the attention of young and old alike while subtly giving them a learning experience ;) We are herded into lifts and taken to the third floor, then we make our way back down through the displays on each floor - Each one is a creation of genius - space has been used effectively to present the growth of China over the last 30 years and a view of the future through a 4D video effect with fireworks above you in a St Pauls Cathedral style dome, then there is work completed by children, a rollercoaster style train ride, a full wall video display completed as an old style tapestry and life in a sustainable future played as a 4D video effect with people living within an apartment block with no walls - life without limits - AMAZING. Finally you come to another fantastic learning zone with eye catching displays giving an insight into the future of sustainable energy use and modern transport - all in all a wonderful learning experience worth every RMB of the entry cost - If you are in Shanghai do not miss this!! Even as you leave you are presented with an escalator coming down from the centre of the pagoda into the sunlight as you look up in wonder at the superstructure… The expo shops are still here and I cannot resist the temptation to buy a set of cards (usually 360y but I get them for 88y ;) in the sale). Leaving the pavilion behind I pass a final thought provoking sculpture designed in the style of Salvador Dali. Wonderful, I barely noticed that I had spent over three hours here :)

It is time to Leave China behind and return to Hong Kong, so back onto the subway, goodbye to the Radisson which has been a wonderful place to rest at 420y per night (FREE snacks and drinks in the evening and full buffet breakfast included, one of the best places I have stayed on my trip). The subway and MAGLEV return me the Shanghai airport in a little over an hour and I guess correctly that the Hong Kong flight will depart from terminal one… It will be great to meet up with Ness and Lee again in Hong Kong before flying on to Japan. China has been a real surprise to me, a wonderful place, full of amazing sites and modern architecture, but also full of hidden treasures. Take time to explore beyond the tourist haunts and you start to experience the real China, one I have come to respect and deeply enjoy (The only thing that I would change would be to ban hocking and spitting as this did gross me out at times but nearly everyone does it here 0_0). I will return and hope that, when I do, the work being done on sustainable futures continues in its current vain.