2010 World Expo Post-Visit Reviews

Reservation spot at Zone E Puxi section

I visited the world expositions in Japan and North America previously. Comparing to my previous experiences, I enjoyed the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai of China the most. There were lots of fun and interests. The site was clean, spacious and pretty. Exhibitions were attractive and creative. The only deficit was that too many people flocked to the popular pavilions but were not interested in other displays that were lack of innovative design. In the meantime, I would like to express my overall impression about the organization of the Shanghai World Expo. In my opinions, the Expo 2010 is systematic and well-organized. Facilities are well equipped to prepare for a huge number of visitors. Information services are within easy access. 

A volunteer helps for reservation tickets

The free intra-site transport services gave us a good chance to rest our legs. Among the popular pavilions, queues were mostly organized at the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. There was a cooling machine standing by the queue. The shelters were designed to allow good ventilation. Though waiting for long, the queue kept moving sluggishly. There were televisions over the queuing site at the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion. The shelter for the queues at the Pavilion of Future was covered with artificial grass layers. The grass kept swinging when breezes blew. This created a sense of cooling comfort to us. At the time we were queuing for the German Pavilion, security guards were insufficient. Parts of the barriers were made of soft ropes. Occasionally, we saw a few persons jump into the queue. In fact, there were so many people that the shelter was not large enough to cover all waiting people. Similarly, many people had to line up under the strong sunshine at the UK, Switzerland, and Japan Pavilions. The design of pavilions organized by the Chinese government has already considered the protection from direct sunshine around their buildings. Many pavilions from other countries, however, do not have any external shelters. No matter how many people were waiting outside the pavilions, interiors were not crowded at all. And there was +-not any time limit for visitors to stay in the pavilions. 

Computer screen for selection of tickets

Reservation tickets are required for the entry to the China Pavilion and other 5 Theme Pavilions. When we were passing by the reservation spot at around 10:30am on the first day of our visits, we were still able to obtain tickets for the Pavilion of Future. All tickets for the China Pavilion, however, had gone.

Instructions and directions for the Expo site were clear. There were many volunteers providing help. Shades and resting areas could be found everywhere. Toilets were within easy access. We brought along with an empty bottle, and we could easily get drinking-water to fill it up for a few hours use. Restaurants and ice-cream kiosks were available in each zone. In some resting areas, mist sprays jetted out from the ground to soothe people. It had already been quite hot in Shanghai during May days. The Expo is sited by the river. There were occasional breezes refreshing us. My journey to the Shanghai Expo 2010 was fantastic. I will visit it again in July.

Shanghai Expo Transportation

Expo Entrance Gate 1

The public transportation network for the Shanghai Expo is massive and convenient. Metro lines 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13 are in services to reach the Expo site. Labels and instructions over the metro stations are so clear that visitors won't get lost. Please read my page Expo Transport Guide for details.

On our first day of the Expo visit, we entered the site in Zone D through Gate 1. Groups and individual visitors were lining up in different queues for admissions to the park. I went to the nearby toilet while waiting for the gate to open. Toilets are clean. Entrance gate queuing areas open at 08:30am. We went through security checks quickly. Zone maps are available at entrances. Once we had got a map, we could easily move around. 

Shibao Avenue Metro Station

The site is extremely large. It is good that there are free intra-site transport services. There are frequent shuttle buses running among zones and across the Huangpu River. Six ferry piers are in service to facilitate people traveling across the river. Piers L1, L3, and L5 are located in Puxi. Piers L2, L4, and L6 are situated at Pudong. A metro line (Number 13) also carries people to the site, away from the site, and within the site across the river. Apart from free shuttle services, visitors can also pay to tour the site by riding the golf-cart-like vehicles.

We left the site through Gate 1 on our first-day visit. Since the gate is about 15 minutes' walk from the Luban Road Metro Station (Metro Line 4), we took a free shuttle bus which stopped right at the Station. It was convenient. There were volunteers helping us out of the gate.

We entered the Expo park from different gates at Pudong on the following two days. In the very late evening of our second-day visit, we left the park through the Shibao Avenue Metro Station (Metro Line 13) which is located at Zone B inside the park. We then got change to Metro Line 7 through security checks at Gate 9 inside the Madang Road Metro Station. We were lucky to catch the last train. 

The first Expo Axis

In the very late evening of our third-day visit, we left the site through Gate 6. From there we saw the full scene of the first Expo Axis. The night view of the Expo Axis is  particularly charming and magnificent. The lighting keeps changing its color, and there sometimes appears the wording of Expo. This is the best location for photographing the Axis. Inside the park, people won't be able to see the beautiful back side of the Axis. On the way to the station, we also saw the flags of all participating countries. There is no need to take any shuttle bus because this gate is close to Yaohua Metro station (Metro Line 7). We caught the last train at 11:15pm.

Expo 2010 Shanghai

Barrier free channel at Expo Gate 8

There has already been 21 days since the opening of the Expo 2010. The accumulated number of visitors is 4,370,000. There were 320,000 visitors yesterday. This has exceeded those on the first two days of the Expo. Those who are disabled, aged 70, or carrying babies can use priority channels (barrier-free channels) for admissions to the Expo or certain pavilions. Services for wheelchairs or baby prams are available.

Purchase of Subway Day Pass

In addition to various sales points and online sales, admission tickets for the Expo 2010 can be purchased at 10 ticket offices at the Expo entrances. The Expo ticket office at Madang Road Metro Station sells same-day ticket between 8am and 5pm, and evening tickets between 4pm and 8pm. Evening ticket holders can enter the Expo between 5pm and 9pm. Visitors are recommended to hold Metro return tickets or one-day pass so that they can save their time in queuing for tickets when leaving the Expo site. However, if they plan to leave the site after 10pm, it is believed that there will not be too many  people lining up for the purchase of metro tickets.

Tips for Joining Shanghai Expo Group Tours

Expo site

Various traveling packages are available for the Shanghai Expo in the market. Most group tours include Expo admission tickets and round trip transportation. The following questions are perhaps worth to be clarified when considering a group tour:

(1) Is the staying hotel located in Shanghai downtown?

The Expo site is located at downtown of Shanghai. However, some tours arrange hotel accommodations in Shanghai suburb or cities nearby. The traffic of Shanghai is always very busy with heavy traffic congestion in peak hours. Due to the far distance between the Expo site and hotel accommodation, tremendous time will be spent on transportation. To get into Shanghai city from the outlying areas, all vehicles have to go through check points for security purposes.

(2) How many days will be spent on Expo?

The Expo area is immense and there are a number of pavilions to where you may wish to pay a visit. As much time will be expected to be spent on lining up for popular pavilions, you may only be able to achieve a few pavilions in a day. It is recommended that you spend at least 3 days in the Expo  park. Sufficient time will make you feel relaxed and thus have more fun. 

(3) Will the travel agent arrange reservation tickets for group members?

The China pavilions and the five theme pavilions, namely Urbanian Pavilion, Pavilion of City Being, Pavilion of Urban Planet, Pavilion of Footprint, and Pavilion of Future, are the most popular visiting points. Reservation tickets are required for the entries into these pavilions. In the past few days, many people felt disappointed because they failed to get a reservation ticket for the China Pavilion. It would be great if the travel agent could arrange reservation tickets for clients.

(4) Will the tour include factory outlet shopping?

It is better to ask whether the tour will arrange any factory outlet shopping if other Shanghai attractions are also included in the package. If the purpose of the Shanghai visit is not for shopping, you may feel disappointed after you have found out that you can’t fully utilize all your precious time in sightseeing. 

Although it is not yet the peak season for traveling, all quality tours for the Shanghai Expo have been fully booked for May in Hong Kong. There are great variations among tour prices. The cost for a luxury tour can be more than 1.5 fold as that for a budget tour. I have booked a 5-day luxury Expo tour in May.  I will further make a report and share my experience with you.

The Classifications of the Expo Admission Tickets

The Shanghai Expo 2010 has been the largest exposition ever since. There are 189 countries and 57 international organizations participating in the Shanghai Expo 2010. Today (May 4, 2010) is the fourth day of the Expo. There were in total 143,000 visitors for today. The number of visitors significantly dropped when comparing with those on the first two days (Saturday and Sunday respectively). The China Pavilion remains to be the top focus among most visitors. There were still a large number of people asking for reservation tickets for the entry to the China Pavilion this morning. All tickets finished within 15 minutes.

To purchase Expo admission tickets, one should pay attention to the date of entry. Tickets are classified as Peak and Standard Days. Peak Days refer to May 1-3, 2010 (The Labor Day Holiday), October 1-7, 2010 (The National Day Holiday), and the last week before closing (October 25-30, 2010) with 17 days in total. All other days with a total of 167 days are classified as Standard Days. Please refer to the following table for ticket prices.

Classification	Price
Peak Day Single Day Admission	CNY200
Peak Day Special Admission	CNY120
Standard Day Single Day Admission	CNY160
Standard Day Special Admission	CNY100
3 Days Admission	CNY400
7 Days Admission	CNY900
Evening Admission	CNY90
Group Admission	For authorized travel agent
Student Group Admission	For authorized travel agent

US$1.00 roughly equivalent to CNY6.77

Special Admission Tickets are applicable to the disabled, senior citizens, students with valid IDs, children above 1.2m, and Chinese military on active duty. Valid IDs are required both at the time of purchase and visits. Children at or under 1.2m will be admitted freely but should be accompanied by at least one adult.

Source: http://www.expo2010.cn

The Third Day of the Expo 2010 - What to bring in

Queuing for a pavilion admission

It's the third day since the opening of the Shanghai World Expo to the public. The weather of Shanghai is hot with temperature around 29 degrees Celsius for most of the time today. It will be a good idea to bring along with a pair of sun glasses, an umbrella, or a cap. For security reasons, visitors are not allowed to bring along with any liquids into the Expo site. A small tube of sun protection cream is allowed. Do remember to bring along with a folded-type umbrella because the unfolded type is not allowed to go into the site. A walking stick with attached small seat or a small folded stool is fine. Please check the guidelines from the Expo official website http://www.expo2010.cn/for update information. 
The Expo Park opens at 09:00am and closes at 12:00 midnight. Most pavilions close at 10:30pm. For some popular pavilions, visitors are required to hold a reservation ticket for the access. Others allow direct access, but people may need to line up for hours for the entry. For certain pavilions, reservation tickets can be obtained from dispenser machines. The China Pavilion is the top attraction to many visitors, and reservation tickets are delivered by a staff member. Thousands of people flocked to the China Pavilion, but tickets were gone quickly from the reservation spots during these three days. Today is the last day of the Labor Day Holiday (May 1-3, 2010) in China. Let's see whether overcrowds will continue tomorrow.

The First Day of Exp 2010 (May 1, 2010)

Expo logo

I had some experiences visiting world expositions in previous years.  I remembered that I was so happy and excited to see new things. There was so much to see that I couldn’t finish them.

Expo 2010 is now being held in my own country, China. I and my family certainly won’t let this opportunity go. This is the first world exposition held in China. The number of pavilions in the Shanghai Expo exhibition is the largest ever since. In order to be able to make good use of time for the visits, we must firstly search relevant information and get things fully prepared. I will record what I have seen and heard about the Expo on my blog and would like share my experience with those who are interested in it, no matter they are going to the Expo or not.

Yesterday (May 1) was the first day of the Expo 2010. There were about 200,000 people visiting the exhibitions. For the popular pavilions, people need to firstly get reservation tickets or queue up for the entries.

Opening of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai

Fireworks for Expo opening ceremony

The World Expo 2010 is taken place in Shanghai of China during the period from May 1 to October 31, 2010. The Expo site is located at both Pudong and Puxi separated by the Huangpu River. The theme of the Expo 2010 is “Better City, Better life” which highlights the common wish of better quality of life in people living in cities.

Shanghai celebrated the grand opening of the 41st batch world exposition in the evening of April 30, 2010. There were magnificent cultural and variety shows conducted in the Expo Cultural Center next to the Huangpu River. Performers are famous local and international singers, movie stars, and dancers. Opposite to the Expo Cultural Center across the river, there was a mega-size TV screen standing by the waterfront. This allowed crowds of spectators watch TV shows along the opposite riverbank.  Over the river, there were dancing fountain and laser light shows.  In the final section of the opening ceremony, spectacular fireworks lighted up the sky for more than 30 minutes.

 

The opening ceremony of the Expo 2010