The world produces more than enough food to "feed every member of the human family," yet one in nine people still go hungry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday in a message for the opening ceremony of a six-month long expo in Milan, Italy, in which the world body is taking part to demonstrate that ending hunger in our lifetime is possible.
Six years ago, Xia Hua, the founder of the fashion company Eve Group, went on a trip to the mountains in Guizhou province, Southwest China. There, she says, she came across Miao craftswomen who amazed her with their beautiful embroidery.
World Expo 2015, which opens in Milan on May 1, will focus on modern agriculture, and China is reflecting that theme in its pavilion. The theme of the pavilion is agriculture and food.
Expo highlights need to ensure safe, sufficient food for all
In the eyes of Italy's top envoy in Beijing, the Milan Expo 2015 can act as a stage where China could and should play a crutial role.
Looking at the "wheat wave" inside the China Pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015, Magenson said this is an innovated architecture design with vivid dynamics, which reminds him of a visit to China years ago.
The Chinese developer Vanke has unveiled its first building outside China, in the form of a pavilion at the Milan Expo, showing to the world the innovation and green building philosophy at the heart of the company's culture. The pavilion's exterior is made from red square tiles, resembling the body of a dragon that is central to Chinese culture. The tiles are environmentally friendly and recyclable, consistent with the high value Vanke places in green building.
The China pavilion has been designed by a team from the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University. It is built on the idea of "the land of hope", inspired by China's vast fields and natural resources.
The Milan Expo 2015, which began on May 1 in Italy, is attracting global attention. It is another event with special meaning for China, after the Shanghai Expo held in 2010. The Milan Expo is focused on modern agriculture and its themes are "Feeding the Planet" and "Energy for Life".
For months, Su Dan has been traveling back and forth between Italy and China, tasked with the monumental job of overseeing the first national pavilion that China has built outside its borders. The China Pavilion is based on the design proposal by the 48-year-old Tsinghua University scholar and his team. Su's theme for the China Pavilion is "The Land of Hope". Embodying this is the building's roof, which is shaped like a cresting ocean wave of opaque glass-like shingles.