Pavilion at Expo will be 'Crown of the East'

SHANGHAI: The China Pavilion at the upcoming Shanghai World Expo will house an enlarged version of the panoramic painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" to reproduce the prosperity of an ancient city of China.

The painting, attributed to Song Dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145), will be reproduced in a version that is hundreds of times the size of the original, which was 24.8 cm by 528.7 cm.

The artwork shows a bustling festival scene from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, which is the city of Kaifeng today.