News: The 2005 "Gather in Shanghai & Seek for Common Development" activity, jointly held by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAC) of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, was carried out ceremoniously in Shanghai from December 14 to December16, 2005. That activity was themed by "Focus on the World Expo, Propagate the World Expo, and Support the World Expo" and was aimed at further cohesion with overseas Chinese to set off an upsurge of planning, publicizing, and supporting the World Expo. Participants included principals and representatives of a hundred overseas Chinese associations from 25 countries and regions, and over 100 overseas Chinese or ethnic Chinese professionals who have established enterprises and are seeking development in Shanghai.
Yu Yunbo, vice chairman of the Shanghai Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was present and made an address at the opening ceremony. He said, "In order to make the Shanghai World Expo successful, wonderful, and memorable, a lot of human, material and financial resources are needed, together with the passionate participation of the Chinese people at home and abroad. The success of Shanghai World Expo will be impossible without the support and help from overseas and ethnic Chinese. The ethnic and overseas Chinese have already made outstanding contributions to the successful bidding of the World Expo. We hope the "Gather in Shanghai & Seek for Common Development" activity can attract more overseas and ethnic Chinese to give more support and help during the preparation of the Shanghai World Expo, and furthermore, in the process of supporting, participating and propagating this World Expo, we may well create new opportunities and seek for common developments."
At the opening ceremony, representative overseas Chinese groups read out a proposal concerning the attending to, propagating and supporting Shanghai World Expo. This was made jointly by the overseas Chinese groups who held the World Expo propagation flags. Leaders of OCAC of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination awarded 150 Shanghai World Expo propagation flags to the representatives of overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese. After the ceremony, Shanghai World Expo sign flags were passed among overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese of foreign countries and regions for their signatures, thereby further propagating the World Expo.
The World Expo symposium was held after the opening ceremony. The fantastic speech delivered by Mr. Huang Yaocheng, deputy director of Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination won favorable comments by the guests present at the symposium.
The principals and representatives of overseas Chinese associations present discussed such topics as how overseas and ethnic Chinese may participate in and support the Shanghai World Expo, and attract business and exhibition for this World Expo. Many overseas Chinese groups expressed the view that they would carry out exhibition and performance activities abroad for the Shanghai World Exposition. (Written by Dai Qian; Photographed by Tang Yanjun)