Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 3)

Day 2. Country Pavilions. Finally! Here are some of my favorites:

China Pavilion

"The roof is made of traditional dougong or brackets, which was widely used in 770 BC-467 BC. In the dougong style, wooden brackets are fixed layer upon layer between the top of a column and a crossbeam. The result is interlocking wooden brackets"  

Yes, that entire tidbit is brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Wikipedia provider. *claps*  Despite not going inside we were still able to appreciate the massive 7 story Pagoda style structure by China.  After the Beijing Olympics, they are truly screaming to the world how much they've arrived.  I love how they managed to integrate the traditional style with such a sleek design. 

Canada Pavilion

It is said that the pavilion is about the size of 2 1/2 NHL ice hockey rink. And, that Cirque de Soleil will be performing.   Me thinks, the overall pavilion design was plain awesome.  Very nice architectural details, clean straight lines with a monochromatic light color that showcases the every inch of the design even more.

Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 2)

It took us a little under an hour to get to the expo.  Trying to hail a taxi cab successfully during Mooncake season in China is almost as likely as me seeing Brad Pitt in person any day of the year.  And so, walk we did to the nearest bus station.  Unfortunately, the bus took us to the Gate 1 stop, which as previously mentioned is home to the Corporate Pavilions.  After recovering from the initial shock of not seeing any familiar Country Pavilions, we decided best to just take everything in and go back the next day for more.

Corporate Pavilions, according to my trusty Expo booklet, are participating enterprises with good solid reputations.  Located in the Puxi section, they occupy around 110 square meters of the entire expo and has around 16 showcase pavilions that are either sponsored by their industry association or independently built.  Mostly, they showcase hardwares, product commercials and such.  I took solace in the fact that I was extremely loving the interplay of lights on the structures.

 The Expo Axis at night

Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 1)

First things first, let's get two things out of the way: Yes, the pavilion lines, at times, feel like it's about as long as the Great Wall, and yes, rude China men can make anyone scratch their heads in bewilderment.  But if you can get pass such minor cultural inconveniences then you just might find yourself enjoying one heck of a spectacular architectural treat before your eyes.