Prince, princess captivate crowd

SHANGHAI - The arrival of the Prince of Orange and Princess Mxima at the Netherlands Pavilion was met with an official welcome from the Chinese government, followed by loud applause and screams of delight from the crowds during the Netherlands National Pavilion Day on Tuesday.

Dutch Prince of Orange (right) and Princess Mxima (second left) visit the Netherlands Pavilion's Happy Street on Tuesday. [Niu Yixin / for China Daily]

Accompanied by M.J.A. Van der Hoeven, the Netherlands' minister of economic affairs, the delegation visited the China Pavilion and the Shanghai Pavilion before visiting the Netherlands Pavilion's Happy Street.

With a sudden heavy rain before the arrival of the royal couple, the Netherlands Pavilion turned into an orange street, with staff wearing orange, the country's national color, and opening orange umbrellas.

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"I am here visiting Expo 2010 Shanghai today especially to see our Princess Mxima, who is the symbol of beauty in our country. I've seen the Prince of Orange when I was in the Netherlands so this time I wanted to see the princess," said Saskia Van Osch, a tourist from the Netherlands.

"I feel so lucky that I could see the prince and princess of the Netherlands on my visit to the Expo," said a woman surnamed Zhou, who traveled from Beijing.

She was a bit disappointed with the tight security. "I can hardly see their faces because there are too many guards surrounding them all the time."

Security at the pavilion during the royal couple's visit was tight, including for the media. A team of bodyguards protected the visiting royals and dignitaries and the media hardly could get close enough to take photos. Staffers at the event were prohibited to answer questions or make any comments on the visit of the royal couple.

"I'm very proud of our pavilion," said Van der Hoeven. "Wherever you are in the pavilion, you still have the sky as the background, which I think is very special."

The Netherlands Pavilion is designed as a street with houses constructed in the shape of the number eight, a lucky number in Chinese culture. Every house shows how the Netherlands succeeds in the innovative use of space, energy and water.