Traveling exhibition of Expo Shanghai opens in Beijing

A traveling exhibition of the Expo Shanghai was unveiled on July 5 in Beijing on the 300th day of countdown to the event.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan attended the ceremony and launched the exhibition.

Addressing the ceremony, Yu Zhengsheng, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said Shanghai wants to make the Expo 2010 a place to display urban civilizations, exchange concepts of urban development, and discover the living modes of the future.

Secretary-general of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales said the national traveling exhibition represents one of the core dimensions of the Expo which is an educational and transformational project of the whole nation.

The exhibition will be held in the Capital Museum from July 7 to 25 (with the exception of Monday). People can visit free of charge.

The exhibition is composed of four parts: general information of the Expo Shanghai, the relations between China and the World Expo, brief introduction to BIE, and the history of the World Expo.

The Expo Shanghai, with the theme of "Better City, Better Life" is scheduled to be held from May 1 to Oct. 31, 2010.

So far, 191 nations and 48 international organizations have officially confirmed their participation in the Expo 2010.

Before the opening ceremony, Wang met with Loscertales, saying the Chinese government attaches great importance to the preparations of the Expo Shanghai, and will try the best to hold a successful and splendid Expo.