Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Chinese government challenged both cities to land the Big Event that could trans-
form their appeal and reputation and attract more foreign visitors. Beijing won its bid for
the Summer Olympics in 2008. And Shanghai was selected as the host for the World Expo
in 2010, becoming the first city in a developing nation to host the Expo since the tradition
began in London in 1851.
Top Chinese officials decided which city would be the candidate for each of these
events and aggressively promoted them. Shanghai, the economic engine of China, was the
logical choice to vie for the World Expo, which is known as the Economic Olympics in
tourism circles. Staging those two events within two years was a major statement of China's
intent to enter the top tier of cosmopolitan nations. The Shanghai Expo cost $55 billion,
excluding the new infrastructure, more than the $40 billion spent on the Beijing Summer
Olympics.
Wu Yi, the head of China's commission for bidding on these events, made the case that
“more and more tourists come to China for its time-honored, splendid culture, and more
and more foreigners become friends of China for its honest, warm-hearted people.”
Like Beijing, Shanghai razed a huge swath of the city to clear over 1,200 acres of land
on either side of the Huangpu River that divides the city. Then Shanghai spent $45 billion
to add seven new subway lines to its city system to move crowds to the Expo grounds, more
than doubling its reach, and to improve or construct major highways and other infrastruc-
ture around the area. For its landmark, the World Expo 2010 Shanghai built a massive red-
lacquer Chinese Pavilion with a roof built using traditional fretwork brackets. The pavilion
hosted extravagant spectacles of Chinese dancers and acrobats in colorful costumes—the
same entertainment that wowed foreigners at the Beijing Olympics.
Some 246 countries, cities, companies and organizations took part in the Expo, either
building full-blown pavilions or staging exhibits. By the time it closed down in October, at
least 73 million visitors had walked through the grounds. Those numbers set a record for
all expos; the vast majority of visitors were Chinese, many of them residents of Shanghai,
who were eligible for free tickets.
The foreign pavilions at the Expo were high-class tourism advertisements to entice the
Chinese to visit India, Germany or Botswana. The Denmark Pavilion was a crowd favorite.
The Danish had sent its statue of the Little Mermaid on its first trip overseas to grace its
pavilion, drawing nearly 6 million Chinese, more than the actual population of Denmark.
The second stage in the transformation of Shanghai into the top tourist spot began
in 2011 with the construction of China's first Disneyland in the city's suburbs. As the
largest tourism joint project with a foreign company, the new Disneyland is intended to
make Shanghai a “world-class tourist destination,” just as Disneyland Paris has become the
single most visited attraction in France.
The first phase of the resort will cover nearly 1,000 acres and eventually cost more than
the Expo. The resort will be roughly equidistant between Shanghai city and its interna-
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