By Ren Yi

Crystals come into being as a result of the aggregation of natural materials, while cities are the crystallization of the social development of human beings.
Crystals can reflect the luster of the nature and the world via its multi-dimensional structures, while the development of cities gathers together the colorful life of the human society. The cinema in the China Pavilion, which is named after crystal, aims to add artistic elements to the "City, Nature, Harmony - Art of Life" theme of the Chinese Pavilion.
This futuristic multimedia presentation hall, covering an area of around 250 square meters, is situated on the second floor of the China Pavilion. Entering the cinema, you will find the facades of three clocks on the floor, painted into yellow, red and green to symbolize the past, present and future respectively. The three giant screens over the clock facades are the hands of galloping time. The slowly rotating screens present episodes of concrete and fluid presentations of China's natural landscapes, culture and history, lifestyles, and the development and evolution of Chinese cities.
The interior walls and the ceilings of the cinema are adorned with many crystal mirrors, which are there to reflect the pictures and colors coming from the screens. These mirrors, consisting of 60 prisms and 300 glass mirrors are glued irregularly by professional designers on the walls and the circled areas corresponding with the three rotating screens. The mirror adornments are of various sizes and arranged in a random but principled way to better reflect the pictures on the screens, adding a surrealism color to the presentations. Visitors can enjoy either the mobile presentations on the screen, or the pictures reflected in the crystal mirrors, and sometimes they can even catch a glimpse of themselves in the presentations with the aid of the mirrors. This arrangement aims to show the colorful lifestyles of human beings, displaying the visual impact and features unique to the cinema of the China Pavilion.
There are three sets of rotating screens in the cinema, which can divide, combine or switch towards multi-angles to align themselves in different manners, creating a multimedia and multi-angled space for visitors. The sound effects of the cinemas are perfect as a result of the installation of five loudspeakers. Through the synchronized broadcasting of the same films or videos in several rotating screens, the Crystal Cinema depicts the development courses of China's tradition culture and modern history. The presentations add a three-dimensional show of the planning of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Site in an attempt to attract more visitors after being re-edited in its contents and music. The dynamic presentations via rotating screens create magic audiovisual effects, reflecting the glamour of China and people's anticipation for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The quick-changing multi-angled presentations, plus the images reflected in the mirrors, creates a special lighting effect for visitors, ushering them through a beautiful visual tour of the illuminating natural landscapes amid the colorful and harmonious lighting.
The background music starts from Tibetan folksongs. Water is the source of human life and cities, and trickling water gathers together to form rivers that nourish cities surrounding them. The presentations then switch to urban life from natural landscapes against the familiar tune of Jasmine Flower that reflects the rhythms of nature and cities. Scenes of lifestyles, cultures and arts constitute the Chinese people's understanding of nature and urban life. Against the change in melodies, the presentations then depict aspects of the fast-changing China, with pictures of smiling faces indicating the Chinese people's passion and confidence in their motherland. The chorus of the song of Jasmine Flower by a group of young girls against the symphony performance brings out the climax of the presentations, with pictures depicting scenes of the preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, presaging that the Chinese people are able to hold these events successfully and wonderfully.
The concluding music brings us back to the Tibetan folksong, and the resounding music penetrates the minds of the visitors. This corresponding arrangement of the opening and concluding music highlights once again that we should make better use of water-the source of all creatures. The high-tech presentation provides a platform for communication and interaction with viewers. The cinema looks grand with the splendid layout, balanced presentations and rich arrangement of colors, forming a beautiful, gorgeous and modern atmosphere for viewers. The appearance of the title "Better City, Better Life" represents not only the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, but also the best interpretation by the Chinese people of the "Wisdom of the Nature" theme of the Aichi World Expo.

Photos:
1. Visitors can watch the pictures in different "crystals."
2. The three sets of rotating screens in the Crystal Cinema.