CRI听力:China Expo Pavilion Opens in Milan

The China Pavilion opened to the public on Friday.

It aims at telling the story of the relationship between the Chinese people and nature.

In order to deliver the message effectively, designers have been looking for a proper way to show off the elements of Chinese culture in a way that a European audience can understand.

Jiang Zengwei, the chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade says the finished pavilion is modern but with lots of Chinese characteristics.

"The China pavilion, themed "Land of Hope, Food for Life", is mainly based on the idea of "Heaven, Human, Earth and Harmony." It showcases the long history of Chinese culture, especially food culture, and the contribution China has made to the worlds food security."

Echoing the Milan Expo's theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life," the China Pavilion has been designed to evoke the look and texture of wheat fields undulating in the wind.

It consists of more than 20 thousand straws of "wheat" made from steel and wood.
 
Each straw is installed with LED lights that can be remotely controlled.

After visiting the China Pavilion, Giuliano Noci, the vice principal of the Politecnico di Milano, spoke highly of the design.

"This pavilion is amazing. Architecturally, the beautiful curvilinear roof is excellently designed. And the combination of sound, lights and electric effects also creates a wonderful environment for visitors. I believe the China Pavilion is going to be one of the most popular at this year's event. "

The China Pavilion invites people to learn about China's time-honored agricultural history, scientific and technological achievements, and rich catering culture.

As the former host of a World Expo, China is presenting three exhibits this time -- the China Pavilion, the China Corporate United Pavilion and the Vanke Pavilion, covering a total area of 6700 square meters. The latter two pavilions opened on the same day.

Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, the secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions, says the last Shanghai World Expo has become a historical milestone.

"The Shanghai Expo in 2010 changed the image of Expos in the 21st century. There is a preview previous to Shanghai and after Shanghai in the history of Expos. And these big success of Expo runs in parallel of the pavilion of China in different an Expo."

The pavilion will be open for six months.

There will be many activities for visitors to take part in, including China Pavilion Day, the Sino-Italian Agricultural and Food Forum, Cultural Weeks and so on.

There will also be dozens of economic and trade activities, and a large number of art performances and intangible cultural heritage shows.

To keep up with the era of new media, the China Pavilion also has an official app for mobile phones, a 3D scene of the pavilion, and a WeChat account.

According to the official website of the Expo, expochina2015.org, the China Pavilion received some 65 hundred visitors on the first day.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.