Discover China

The Shanghai World Expo 2010 was officially closed on 31 October 2010 after receiving a record 73 million visitors. China realised its century-old dream of hosting the event, and at the 184-day grand gala China and other countries from around the world eagerly showcased their history and culture. The Shanghai World Expo, the first held in a developing country in the event’s 159-year history, set one record after another in terms of the number of participating countries or regions, the size of the Expo park, and the number of visitors.

Under the theme of “Better City, Better Life,” the Shanghai Expo drew 246 participating nations and international organizations at the largest ever world fair site of 5.28 square kilometers. The ideas of pluralism, harmony, tolerance, originality and co-existence that the Shanghai Expo has upheld will carry on, inspire and encourage people to carry on and create an even brighter future in the post-Expo era.

To look back on the many facets of this great event visit the CNTV Special Feature World Expo 2010 Shanghai China.

What did China look like 900 years ago? It was in the most glorious period of the Song Dynasty. Zhang Zeduan, an extraordinary artist at that time, captured the daily life of people in the capital Kaifeng and made it eternal in his scroll painting, “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” The countryside and the densely populated city are the two main sections in the picture, with the river meandering through its entire length and busy transportation and business activities functioning to connect the whole city. The Shanghai World Expo 2010 features a large animated version of the painting – to find out more about the painting and view the video see the China Network Television (CNTV) Culture Express story Look into China along the river. Kaifeng is one of China’s ancient capitals and features a number of significant historic sites. We visited the city on our trip to Henan Province in 2008.