--- All the materials are from the official website of EXPO 2010. World Expo 2010 will be held in Shanghai during 1st May 2010 – 31st Oct. 2010. Theme of Expo 2010 is "Better City, Better Life," representing the common wish of the whole humankind for a better living in future urban environments. So far, 177 countries and 44 international organizations have confirmed to participate in the World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Hereby introduce some pavilion as follows, all designed to echo the theme of the Expo 2010: “Better City, Better Life”. China Pavilion The China Pavilion, 20,000-square-meter, is designed with the concept of "Oriental Crown”. The traditional Chinese wooden structure element, Dougong brackets, is introduced. Its main color is "Gugong (Forbidden City) Red" which represents the taste and spirit of Chinese culture.

Macau Pavilion Macau pavilion has been designed to look like a rabbit lantern sitting under China's national pavilion. The Macau pavilion will be covered by a double-layer glass membrane and fluorescent screens. Kinetic balloons will form the head and tail of the "rabbit. In Chinese mythology, the jade rabbit welcomes visitors to a magical fairyland.

Hong Kong Hong Kong Pavilion, about 800 square meters, will be built on a stand-alone site and occupy an ideal location close to the China Pavilion and adjacent to the Macau Pavilion. The theme is "Hong Kong - A City with Unlimited Potential". The Hong Kong Pavilion will showcase the city's unique connectivity, as well as the connectivity with the mainland and the rest of the world, the connectivity of ideas and information, and the connectivity of nature with the built environment.

International Participants Australia Australia Pavilion will take visitors on a journey of Australia's natural beauty and rich culture in an exploration of one of the most livable

countries in the world. Australia's innovative ideas on urban planning, renewable energy development, transport and infrastructure will be presented under the theme "Mastering the challenges: Australia's smart solutions for our urban future”. The pavilion comprises three parts incorporating distinct, yet inter-related exhibitions. Daily performances will be staged in the last part of the pavilion. Visitors will be invited to taste authentic Australian cuisine, sip some fine red wines and buy Australian products.

Austria Austria Pavilion, about 2,000 square meters in size, will take visitors on a journey through snow-capped mountains, forests, flowing rivers and urban landscapes. It will display Austria's natural scenery and landmark buildings such as Vienna City Hall under the theme "Feel the Harmony”. The pavilion will take a porcelain outer skin in red and white colors, which represent the colors of the Austria national flag. The red color also takes on Chinese meaning of the color of good luck.

Canada The 6,000-square-meter Canada Pavilion, will feature an exhibition

themed "The Living City: Inclusive, Sustainable, Creative”. The pavilion is about the size of two-and-a-half NHL ice hockey rinks, expected to welcome up to 5.5 million people or 30,000 visitors per day during the six-month Expo period. The pavilion will be anchored by an open public place and surrounded by three large structures. The square will be a performing area, where visitors can watch the performances of Cirque du Soleil before checking out the pavilion.

Czech Republic The Czech Republic Pavilion is the white 2,000-square-meter structure will feature rubber ice-hockey pucks on its facade. The design signifies that pucks are a significant Czech export and ice hockey is its national sport. The theme is "Fruits of Civilization”. It will spotlight the use of new technologies and renewable energy, transport solutions as well as a desire for privacy. Visitors will experience a fictitious and magical city, modeled on Prague's Old Town, inside the pavilion.

Denmark Danish Pavilion, called “Welfairyales” (a blend of the words “welfare” and “fairy tales”), will showcase a fairy tale world with the Little Mermaid, the country's symbol. The Little Mermaid statue is one of Denmark's major tourist attractions and sits on a rock in Copenhagen harbor. The Danish Pavilion consists of an outdoor and an indoor area which are united in one circle. The pavilion aims to give visitors the chance to savor the best aspects of Danish urban life.

France France Pavilion, 6,000-square-meter pavilion, is themed “The Sensual City”, presenting a simple building with a big French-style garden inside. It is unique in terms of both form and technologies, and it will use the most advanced building materials and environmental protection technology. The focus area is a space of 180 square meters, equipped with flat screens and video-projectors. It is located at the end of the scenography circuit, on the first floor, right before the escalator which goes to the shops.

Germany Germany Pavilion, 6,000-square-meter structure, will comprise three exhibition areas which will showcase German urban life and how the country's design and products can help solve urbanization problems. The theme of the pavilion is "Balancity”. It will demonstrate the importance of balance between modernization and preservation, innovation and tradition, community and the individual, work and leisure, and between globalization and national identity. The highlight of the pavilion will be a cone-shaped structure housing a revolving metal sphere, 3 meters in diameter and covered with 30,000 LEDs, which will be activated by the noise and movement of spectators.

Finland Finland Pavilion, built on a 3,000-square-meter plot, will be like a “Kirnu”, a Finnish word that means a rocky hollow formed naturally along the seashore. Finland will attempt to capture the ideas of freedom, creativity, innovation, community, health and nature in its pavilion and exhibition. Finnish people believe the six elements compose "the beautiful life". The three-story building, which will include a restaurant serving Finnish food, will look like a huge white bowl and will be surrounded by a lake. The "bowl" will appear to be floating on the water.

Holland Dutch Pavilion, 5,000-square-meter, is known as Happy Street, comprises 26 small elevated houses. The houses will line a pedestrian street that curves in a figure of eight, a lucky number in China suggesting fortune. Each house will feature an exhibition exploring themes such as energy, water, space and other urban issues.

India India Pavilion will showcase the wisdom of ancient Indians. The 4,000-square-meter structure will be similar to the Sanchi Stupa, built in the Maurya Dynasty (about 321-187 BC) by Ashoka. Its exhibition will be themed on "Cities of Harmony", focusing on the integration between urban and rural regions through exchange of trade and services. Visitors to the pavilion will be led on a journey of Indian cities from ancient times to the present day.

Ireland Ireland Pavilion will showcase its changing cityscapes down through the ages. The island will display its urban lifestyle with emphasis on the efficient use of space. The Irish Pavilion will be built across gentle inclines and will have five enclosed galleries, covering more than 1,500 square meters of exhibition space, also feature a courtyard plaza that will serve as exhibition space and a performance area. The rich cultural heritage of Irish cities and their rich achievements in arts and literature will be presented through exhibitions and performances.

Italy Italy Pavilion, 3,600-square-meter, was inspired by the children's game "pick-up sticks". The rectangular pavilion will be laced with intersecting lines - representing pick-up sticks. The pavilion comprises 20 functional modules of different shapes, bounded by the "sticks”, representing 20 regions. The pavilion will present Italian opera, fashion shows and food for its visitors. The pavilion will also make use of a cutting-edge construction material known as transparent concrete.

Mexico Mexico Pavilion will look like a “Kite Forest” with a 4,000-square-meter area covered in grass, hundreds of colorful Mexican kites flying in the sky. Visitors can read a book, have a picnic or simply relax on the grass under the shade of the kites. They can also buy a traditional Mexican-style kite from the pavilion and fly it to recall the fun of their childhoods. You also can even learn how to make a unique Mexican kite as the souvenir. The exhibition area will be a two-story area under the square. The pavilion will showcase Mexico's culture, landscapes, cities and the ancient Maya civilization. Some cultural relics of the Maya will be exhibited.

New Zealand New Zealand Pavilion will showcase the balance between city and nature, themed "Cities of Nature: Living between Land and Sky". It will be located on a 2,000-square-meter land. The pavilion exhibition will tell a modern variation of the Maori story of how humans were created, in which forests and people are not seen as separate, but as different aspects of the same creative spirit. The "Kapa Haka" groups,

indigenous New Zealand Maori dancing groups, will perform daily in the pavilion.

Norway Norway Pavilion’s them is “NORWAY, Powered by Nature”. Norway, the country of forests, fjords, mountains and coastlines, will invite visitors to an Expo pavilion consisting of 15 model “trees” each offering different experiences. The northwest European country will share its experiences in resources and energy conservation in its pavilion. The main section of the pavilion can adjust to allow large or small presentations for individual groups. The pavilion will also have the Fjord Restaurant which will serve Norwegian food and a business center for conferences and forums.

Poland Poland Pavilion, 3,000-square-meter, is mainly made of wood, and gives the impression of a huge paper cutout building, tilted slightly upward from the ground. The theme is “People Create Cities”. Poland will turn its Shanghai Expo pavilion into a gala concert hall during the 2010 event to invite visitors to dance and sing in memory of the great Polish musician Frederic Chopin. "Puppet Night", "Rock Night" and

"Chopin Night" concerts will be held inside the pavilion every day after 8pm. The music will be the main topic of the pavilion.

Romania Romania's national pavilion will take the shape of a green apple in its focus on a "green city" concept. The pavilion will cover 2,000 square meters and its apple shape and logo "Greenopolis" reflect the importance of healthy lifestyle, sustainable development and knowledge-based solutions for modern society, Romanian officials said.

Russia Russia will decorate its pavilion like a fairy-tale world, showing a comfortable city seen through children’s eyes. The pavilion will be on a 6,000 square meters plot and feature 12 white towers inspired by traditional Russian women’s costume. A 15-meter-tall central building will link the towers. The 20-meter towers, in white, red and gold, will duplicate the ancient Ural towns dating back 3,000 years ago, but given a modern touch with their irregular shapes. Inside the three-story

building, there will be a display of scenes from the fairy tale "The Adventures of DUNNO and His Friends”, written by children's author Nikolay Nosov. The pavilion theme is “New Russia: city and citizen”.

Spain Spain Pavilion, a basket-like design, will have a steel structure and a wicker cover. Spanish handcrafters will weave out different patterns by using different colors of wicker. The wicker will be covered by a special water-proof material to keep the pavilion at a comfortable temperature. The pavilion, with a total floor area of 8,500 square meters, will have both open squares for cultural performances and an indoor area for exhibitions and cafeterias.

Sweden Sweden Pavilion, covering 3,000 square meters, will showcase how the nation's spirit of innovation solves problems and improves living standards. The main theme will be interaction between urban and rural areas. The pavilion will be in the shape of a large square divided into four sections by a crossroads reflecting its national flag. Three sections will represent urban areas and the other will be an open-air terrace representing nature.

Switzerland The Swiss Pavilion is inspired by the concept of balance, as embodied in the traditional Chinese concept of yin and yang, which is relevant to the sub-theme of the Expo "rural-urban interaction”. Rural and urban areas are complementary yet opposing, and the combination of the two ensures a balance between society and nature. A regular and healthy interaction between the rural and urban areas is a prerequisite for sustainable and harmonious development in ecological, economic and social aspects.

Turkey The Turkey pavilion’s theme is “The Cradle of Civilization”. Covering an area of 2,000 square meters, the pavilion appearance looks like an amazing red and beige box with an animal sculpture, inviting visitors to explore a maze of dreams. The inspiration is from settlements called

“Catalhoyuk” in Turkish, which were the center of advanced culture in the Neolithic period. Every visitor to the pavilion will get a cat's eye stone as a present.

UK (United Kingdom) The UK Pavilion, 6000-square-meter, will look like a huge "light box" with thousands of needle-like protrusions which will extend from the structure and quiver in the breeze. The pavilion sits on a landscape looking like paper that once wrapped the building and that now lies unfolded on the site. Britain will also embed more than 60,000 seeds into the structure of its pavilion to urge people to protect natural species from extinction. Inside the pavilion there will be an exhibition about "bringing nature back into the city".

USA The USA Pavilion will showcase sustainability, teamwork, health, and struggle and achievements. T he overall theme of the pavilion is "Rise to the Challenge” which is depicted to be creating environmentally sustainable communities, engaging in a healthy lifestyle and using technology to improve people's lives. America national pavilion will showcase American business and technology, as well as culture and values, to foster stronger friendship between the American and

Chinese peoples as it also demonstrates America's commitment to a forward-looking, positive relationship with China.