Germany to show its image and imagination in Expo

BERLIN - Germany is ready to make its own contributions for the Shanghai World Expo, with many " infotainment ideas" and the Germa-style insights of how to build a balanced city, said Dietmar Schmitz, commissioner general of the German Pavilion, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.

"When Shanghai raised 'better life, better city' as the main theme of the 41st World Expo, I realized that it was a very interesting motto," Schmitz said. "China is the first country who pick up urbanization as the subject of World Expo, with eyes on the human future."

Many megacities in the world, such as Japan's Tokyo, Brazil's Sao Paulo, are facing similar problems like overpopulation and energy waste, as the global entertainment and climate has changed due to human's industrialized activities, Schmitz said.

"At the Shanghai Expo, we want to offer solutions created and made in Germany, which is called 'Balanced city'," the German Pavilion chief organizer said. "We hope to indicate that the city is not a monster, but a sustainable place we can live in. However, you have to fulfill some conditions to achieve it."

With a size of nearly 6,000 square meters, German pavilion will be the largest among overseas participators, which will be able to accommodate 39,000 to 46,000 visitors per day. And it is also Germany's biggest contribution to a world exposition worth 30 million euros ($41 million).

Named "Balancity" and having 13 different sub-themes, the three-dimensional sculpture will present "a city in balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, society and its individuals, work and recreation, and finally, between globalization and national identity", the designer team said.

"There is a great competition in Germany, and we asked different teams to talk about what could be a good German contribution to this expo," Schmitz said. Three leading construction and designing companies were selected at last.

Schmitz believed that scientific creativity is one of Germany's vital heritages. "The aim for us is to work for the country's public image. On one hand, we want to do it in a serious way, and on the other, we want to find a way of 'infotainment', that is, combining information with entertainment," he said.

"For different groups of visitors, young and old, experts and students, we will be very happy and satisfied if our visitors say ' something in the German pavilion is so interesting that I will remember them for a long time'," he said.

On Wednesday, the Chinese delegation who attended the 44th ITB (International Travel Show) in Berlin held "China World Expo Tourism Evening" in the city's Ritz Carlton Hotel, in a bid to attract more Germans to China and the Expo.

"It's very important that this event takes place on the occasion of the ITB, " Schmitz said. The party managed to spread more information to "those who don't know everything about the Expo and China tourism."

"I have been in China many times since 1994, its development was very impressive for me, and sometimes I can not believe what's going on there," Schmitz said. "Last 6 months, Shanghai has effectively finished so many things and I believe the city will have a brilliant future. "  

Shanghai World Expo 2010 will take place from May 1 to October 31. The site covers over 5 square kilometers and is expected to attract 70 million people from around the world, with exhibitors coming from over 240 countries, regions and international organizations.