德国世博馆传递和谐都市生活

上海世博会德国馆占地面积6000平方米。四个大型展馆主体交相辉映，如同一座空间雕塑，形成稳定的平衡感。德国馆的设计理念“和谐都市”（Balancity）是由英文 “和谐”和“都市”两个词组成的一个新名词，借以传达这样一个信息：如果一个城市在求新与存旧、创新与传统、城市与自然、集体与个人、工作与休闲之间都能达到平衡，那这里的生活就是和谐的城市生活。

A city can be a good place to live - if it provides a balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, community and individual development, and work and leisure.

That's the message of the German Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo, which has opened in Shanghai. In this edition of On the Road, as we continue our trip through the Expo Garden in Shanghai, we introduce you to another highlight of the Expo - the German Pavilion. Here's Liu Yan.

We start today's story with Urte Fechter, director of the German Pavilion. A typical German career woman, Fechter has displayed her dedication and professional spirit by working more than 12 hours a day to prepare for the exhibition. She has even learned Chinese during the past two years in order to better communicate with Chinese people.

Fechter says the German Pavilion has been nicknamed "Balancity" - a newly coined term signifying a city in balance. A city can be a good place to live - if it provides a balance between renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, community and individual development, and work and leisure. That's the message the designers of Balancity hope to convey.

At 6,000 square meters, the German Pavilion is the biggest Germany has ever presented at a World Expo. It will be able to accommodate about 45,000 visitors a day.

Made of 120,000 square meters of plastic sheets, Banlancity has a great sunshade roof and walls that greatly reduce noise level and heat. When the Expo is over, the plastic sheets can still be used as sunshades and umbrellas, or be made into shopping bags. The 1,200 tons of steel used in the structure can also be recycled.

Visitors will embark on a journey through a city of ideas, moving through thematic areas representing different urban spaces just as they would in a real city - on foot, moving walkways and escalators.　

The journey starts at the Harbor, leads through a garden and a park via a Town Planning Office, past the Depot, the Studio and the City Square, and to the Energy Source, the city's power plant.

Fechter says this year's Expo will address the urban challenges facing us in the 21st century, adding that the German Pavilion will present ideas and solutions made and created in Germany that can have a positive impact on this development. She introduces some of the exhibits from her country.

Dr. Winfried Vahland is president of the Volkswagen China Office. He says as an economic power and leader in innovation, Germany is an attractive place to visit.

A team of 450 staffers will look after visitors to Balancity. More than 250 servers and almost 200 workers will work in its restaurant, which will make sure it fulfills Asian expectations of Germany and German cuisine.

Marion Conrady, spokeswoman for Balancity, says all the staffers here speak Mandarin Chinese and English and can communicate freely with local visitors.

German culture will take center stage on May 19, with a wide variety of events ranging from classics to pop star performances, and a presentation by Berlin's Hip Hop Headquarters. German president Horst K?hler is also expected to attend the event.

Thanks Liu Yan. The World Expo is entertaining millions, but beyond entertainment, it also gives every exhibitor a great opportunity to present its country's particular expertise.

As China has some of the largest and fastest-urbanizing cities in the world, the solutions posed at this Expo for dealing with the world's challenges are particularly relevant to China.

We hope that as one of the world's science and technology powerhouses, the ideas and solutions created in Germany can have a positive impact on urban development in China and worldwide.