The Shanghai Expo 2010 is a huge success for China and Shanghai. Chinese people are flocking there by the hundreds of thousands each day, viewing magnificent pavilions from almost every country in the world. But for Paul and me, the Expo experience was a bust. A wipeout.
First, the good stuff. We have three-day tickets, which cost about $60 each, obtained by Paul’s colleagues in advance. We waited a day, to avoid the extra-big crowds expected during the Chinese holiday. Following advice, we entered one of the Expo gates on the West Bank of the Huangpu River, and had to wait in line only 15 minutes. Here is a photo of me celebrating – inside Expo at last! Not crowded at all!
To get to the East Bank, where the best pavilions are, you can take a free ferry. However, the wait for the ferry was long and miserable, not standing-in-line but rush-and-crowd. I tried to THINK POSITIVE while I waited. Many of the Chinese visitors came in tour groups, often wearing the same hat, as a way to keep from getting lost. We stood with a group of orange-hatted folks from Ningbo. No special treatment for foreigners, no matter how far we had come.
Finally on the other side of the river, we headed straight for the large Chinese pavilion.
Expo is staffed by young Chinese volunteers, wearing green, ready to give directions and help. Some of them seemed to be wilting in the heat and humidity.
Fortunately, there are covered walkways, many with misters spraying water to cool people down, just like in Arizona.
At the Chinese pavilion, we lucked out. Although people lined up for hours to see the national exhibit, on the upper levels, we were able to take the “green line” express entrance (for senior citizens!) into the ground level exhibits, with exhibits for each Chinese province. We felt so amazed to be inside! There we wandered through province after province, lingering in the Tibet exhibit. It featured a “middle-class Tibetan home” with appreciative photos of the Chinese leaders who brought prosperity to Tibet.
After lunch we headed to the Taiwan pavilion, which we had heard was very popular. Relations between Taiwan and mainland China have improved enormously, and here China is allowing and encouraging a separate pavilion for Taiwan, as well as smaller ones for Hong Kong and Macau. The Taiwan exhibit is so popular that people are willing to wait for three hours to see it. These folks are not refugees waiting to move to Taiwan; they just want to see the exhibits.
Some people even brought their own small stools to sit on.
A loudspeaker announced the length of waits for the most popular pavilions: more than four hours for Saudi Arabia, more than three hours for China, more than two hours for USA. It was 1 p.m., and all the advance tickets were sold out.
Paul and I looked at each other, having the same epiphany: Clearly, we would not be able to see any of these popular exhibits. Not one. Waiting in line for even two hours in this heat and humidity was not an option.
“Well,” I said. “Let’s just go around and take photos of the outsides of the pavilions. They’re all very interesting to look at.” So we did. Here are a few cool ones we saw:
Finally, we found some pavilions with no waiting time. Iran and North Korea! How else could we visit the Axis of Evil countries! As we went inside these pavilions, I couldn’t help thinking of the American hikers detained by Iran and the two American journalists detained by North Korea. Only here in China can U.S. citizens go in and come out freely!
Here is the Iran pavilion, very beautiful.
Inside, upstairs, they were selling gorgeous Persian rugs, some for as much as $20,000. We bought some Iranian ice cream -- pistachio and saffron flavored! Downstairs, they were showcasing big industrial achievements, including an aircraft factory (Iran makes planes?) but not their nuclear facilities. Pictures of President Ahmedinajad were everywhere, as if trying to reinforce his legitimacy after that contested election.
The North Korean pavilion (DPRK), right next door, was less impressive. No photos of the Dear Leader, just a tacky Cupid fountain.
But we were fascinated by a North Korean exhibit called “Paradise for People.” It showed ordinary North Koreans living in beautiful apartments, smiling and laughing, with plenty to eat. Who knew?
Such propaganda! we think. Yet every country’s exhibit is about propaganda, isn’t it? Even Japan, displaying robots playing violins, is showing off its technological prowess. An Exposition is all about showing off.
We managed to get out of Expo before the rain started, and without buying a single stuffed animal of Haibao, the weird blue mascot. (Lucky you! We could have gotten everyone a Haibao for Christmas, and all our Christmas shopping would be done.)
Our tickets allow us two more days at Expo. There are many exhibits we missed, including the chocolate factory at the Belgian pavilion. However, Paul has had enough. So have I. No more Expo for us.
Question: If you were here, would you use the tickets, already paid for, and go back to see some of the exhibits we missed?
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