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inspired by the concept of “paper folding” and the traditional Shanghai shi-
kumen housing architectural style. h e remaining pavilions (Footprint and
Future) were held on the Puxi side, in repurposed industrial buildings. Four
of the fi ve pavilions were designed by non-Chinese companies, representing
the same tensions and dynamics of nationalism/transnational cultures in
the broader city and eco-city-building trends discussed in earlier chapters.
h e large theme pavilion structure was also defi ned by “green building
standards,” which included green walls, solar paneled rooftops, and energy-
saving design. h e fi ve-thousand-square-meter green walls were billed as
the largest vertical eco-surfaces in the world, while the rooftop panels had
an annual generating capacity of 2.8 million kilowatts.
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Like the Shanghai
Tower discussed in chapter 3, green-building structures in Shanghai have
become a symbol of technological and ecological sophistication in excess.
Large-scale (the “largest and best” solar panels, green walls, etc.) instru-
ments received far more attention than individual behaviors, although argu-
ably both are necessary to achieve environmental benefi ts.
h e City Being, Urban Planet, and Future pavilions were the most sig-
nifi cant centerpieces at the expo in terms of representing the dreams and
aspirations of the “City” and the “Environment.” Each one was unique in its
presentation of technology and the experience of the visitors through space
and time. For instance, the Pavilion of City Being presented a fascinating
view of the city through the theme of “vigor” and metabolism, which most
clearly illustrates the opposite of “city illness.” h is pavilion was designed
and planned by President Xu Jiang and Vice President Song Jianming of the
China Academy of Art. Xu Jiang said in an interview, “We really hope that
our audiences come here not for a fad or just for fun. h ey come here to
understand the city and to know what the city is. h is is the original goal of
the expo and this is also why our country invested so much money in this
expo to make Chinese people make them realize their world citizenship.”
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h
e pavilion design changed eight times. According to Xu, the original idea
