People queuing at five o’clock in the morning to be able to enter, an average of 50,000 visitors per day, the magic threshold of 5 million visitors surpassed in the first half of August. These are only some of the figures highlighting the successful participation of Czech Republic in Shanghai Expo 2010.
“I think that no other national pavilion is being as successful as ours” explains a very satisfied Jiri Frantisek Potužnik, the PR and responsible for the Czech press. We have met him in Shanghai during this event which is considered to be the biggest Universal Exhibition of History.
Just outside our pavilion we have set a television camera in front of which any visitor can leave a message. No negative comment has been reported so far. I suppose our visitors particularly love our exhibition performances, since they actually include true artworks and not only video projections as shown in other venues.
The Expo opened last 1st May and can be visited through 31st October.
Czech Republic, as all the other joining countries, hopes to obtain from this experience in China a positive feedback for the image and the economy. “The first beneficial thing I can think of – so said Potužnik – is tourism. The number of Chinese visitors to Czech Republic is growing steadily, although there are no direct flights connecting our country to China. Last year we received 62,000 Chinese tourists. Our presence here in Shanghai and the positive feedback we’ve been receiving make us confident that these figures are likely to increase even more”.
The participation of Czech Republic to Shanghai is giving positive results notwithstanding some difficulties that have marked the organisational phase, firstly the late appointment of the general commissioner of Expo Pavel Antonín Stehlík, due to the late government installation following the 2006 elections.
“Apart from all that, we have managed to rent this pavilion which is perfect for both its area, which covers over 2,000sqm, and for its position, as it is located directly on Piazza Europea. Besides, we have met all the organisational deadlines”
Further appreciation comes also from Helena Zavazalova, the exhibition manager of the pavilion of the city of Prague. In fact, the Capital is represented by its own pavilion, which is independent from the one of Czech Republic. In this sector, a very realistic re-construction of the Charles Bridge has been realised, as well as a real Czech hospoda supplying gulas, knedliky and of course beer which is drunk in gallons by the Chinese, who seem to enjoy it a lot.
“The Shanghai Expo, – which is held under the slogan Better city, better life – has been the first to propose the pavilions to represent the cities. This is the reason why Prague was invited to join the event” so explained Ms Zavalova, who has pointed out how the Czech Capital is one of the 50 cities joining the show with its own pavilion (out of over 350 applying cities)”.
The slogan of the participation of Prague in the Expo says the following: “A modern town able to protect its cultural heritage”. The reference is to an anti-flood system which Prague achieved to create and which it is now proposed on the foreign market. “Through this show we wish to underline the importance of this system which saved our city and most of its monuments during the tragic floods of 2002” Zavalova says.
This big event has definitely met the public’s approval and Czech Republic – which China has invited to emphasise internationally its strong potentialities as well as its competitiveness in the organisation of big events – has great expectations, too. Nonetheless, there have been some negative comments on the way the Expo organisers have “adjusted “ the area where the Expo has been built. In fact, plenty of houses have been knocked down for the purpose. Besides, controversy has arisen over the enormous expenses which turned up to be far higher than the ones spent for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. What’s more, most of the high-tech and futurist pavilions have been built without clear concepts or contents and last but not least, the poor presence of western visitors has been another hard bit marking the 2010 edition of this big event in the beating heart of the economic capital of China.
By Mauro Ruggiero (from Shanghai)