Company Presidents are busy building guanxi (relationships) at Expo. Screen siren, Gong Li was appointed as France’s new “Charm Ambassador” for the French Pavilion and awarded a Legion of Honor; she is also coincidentally the face of L’Oreal, the French cosmetics brand, which is a key Expo Sponsor. GE has built their own futuristic pavilion. Car companies are here in force and who can blame them. GM sold more cars in China than in the US in ’09. BMW will host their own Thought Leaders Forum at Expo. from 14 – 16 May. The catchphrase of the whole event is “Better City, Better Life” and companies are green-washing their brands. “Shanghai could leapfrog the rest of the world [on urbanisation], because the scale of what they want to do and what they need to do is enormous”, says Anthony Elvey, director of Cisco’s Expo Pavilion.
Welcome to The Charitiarian.
1 million people have already visited Expo (World Exhibition in Shanghai) during the first five ‘trial runs’ held last week. Streets are packed and it is difficult to book a hotel for the ‘big bang’ opening on Friday 30 April; this is the Shanghai ‘Olympics’. Shanghai is deeply competitive with Beijing. Although the official line is that there will be a few ‘fireworks’ with some surprises, the fireworks manufacturers state that there will be 100,000, versus the 80,000 at the Beijing Olympics, some of which ‘could land on the moon’.
400,000 daily visits are expected throughout EXPO from May 1 to October 31 with 600,000 people on weekend days. Regarding the pavilions, countries have lent their most expensive cultural assets to draw the crowds. For example the one hundred year old mermaid statue which has been sitting on the edge of Copenhagen harbor for 100 years, in honor of the fairytale character created by Hans Christian Anderson, has temporarily relocated to an artificial pond in the Danish Pavilion in the EXPO garden. Visitors are beginning to arrive in big numbers, regardless of the disrupted flight schedules in Europe caused by the Icelandic volcano. Expect a cosmopolitan cultural Olympics with Shanghai style.
Ran to party as there was no transportation unless you are in the Politburo or a princess. I am neither (…yet). I arrived quite hungry and you could feel the ‘countdown’ vibe. Hundreds of security types speaking into collars. It was a good gathering for UK Pavilion launch. Consul General Carma Elliot welcomed everyone. Thomas Heatherwick, who designed the UK pavilion and looks like a big hair ball, made animated presentation. (more…)
Shanghai is shaping up for EXPO overload. Everyone is scanned as they enter the hotel. If you forget your key to your room, they check your birth-date to re-enter. Shangri-la have shipped in their best staff from around the Asian region to cope with multilingual guests. (more…)
The thunder of the fireworks practice for EXPO in Shanghai has just abated. I am sitting overlooking the Bund contemplating a hectic day. I have always run to the Bund (or riverbank) as soon as I hit Shanghai. Maybe it is because it is one of the few places in urban China where you can still feel the wind in your hair. Maybe its because of the multifarious passers by that remind you of the complexity of the city. Maybe it is because this is where I called my Dad four years ago to debate the benefits of living in Beijing or Shanghai. He told me openly (and as it transpired accurately) that “if you want money stay in Shanghai, but if you want real China go to Beijing.” Shanghai, or the ‘Paris of the East’ may not be ‘real China’ but it is the best of everything Asia has to offer (at a price). If you have money anything is possible. If you are poor you will spend your time looking up and no-one will smile back. The nightclubs make London look like a backwater. The height of the buildings belittle New York. The fashion conscience residents make Parisians look parochial. (more…)
Monday: Had dinner with lawyer friend who has worked in China for twenty years. I saw the long distance codes flash up on his iPhone. Everyone calls China now. It no longer waits to woo the outside world. EXPO will ram home this reality. Whilst my friend was taking his call I surveyed the Shangri-la, Pudong Shanghai, buffet. Having lived out of a case for seven years in Asia I have seen some of the best buffets in the world, but this hotel has to win hands down. (more…)
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