Written by Gu Li Xing
photographed by Ren Yi

The world exposition is truely a place of great charm, which is frequently showered with large amounts of admiration. It can been viewed as an expression of the Chinese saying "while laymen are keen to watch the excitement, the initiated appraise and admire the skill"

In accordance with the theme of every world exposition, each exhibitor is encouraged to put on an exhibition representing an interpretation and understanding based upon their own cultural background and experience. Visitors can also appreciate and value the exhibition within their own cultural frame work. With an increase in the popularity of the exposition throughout the world, the participating members have also been enlarged to include countries, enterprises and also non-profit and non-governmental organizations. Clearly this has contributed a lot of additional attractions to the world exposition. At the world exposition, one finds some pavilions which, though not very big, have great appeal to the visitors. Other pavilions offer little or no obvious attractions, yet the pavilion itself is of the grandest appearance. The world exposition can be seen as a composition with a compulsory theme. When you come across a good "article", such happiness is hard to put in words. From my point of view, the pavilion of the United States of America is an exemplary exhibition. .

Appropriate interpretation for the theme
The theme of this year's world exposition is "the wisdom of nature". This is a broad theme full scope for imagination. The Americans cleverly found a good way to approach the subject-the spirit of Benjamin Franklin. Since this year happens to be the 300th anniversary of the birth of Franklin, the famous American scientist and inventor, the US exhibitors wanted to put on a display reflecting the modern history of scientific development in the US, through honoring Franklin's spirit and his ceaseless exploration of nature.

Appropriate format for exhibition
To interpret a good theme requires an appropriate method for representation. The American pavilion adopts a direct format. The pavilion is composed of three parts: exhibition prelude area, major exhibition area and free exhibition area. The exhibition prelude area is an open space, in the center of which is a statue of Franklin collecting electricity via a kite in motion. Sitting or standing there, visitors can witness the whole process of the experiment while enjoying stories about Franklin. After viewing the video, visitors then enter the major exhibition pavilion, equipped with seats. With the aid of high tech multi media systems, Franklin is brought back to life. He humorously leads one through the modern history of scientific development in the US. Everything appears so real and flawless, especially the wind and rain engineered in the pavilion, which are both realistic and entertaining. The last step is the free exhibition pavilion, where you can admire the accomplishments brought about by the inspirational spirit of Benjamin Franklin: from the earliest airplane invented by the Wright brothers to the Mars prospectors of the most recent past.

Perfect cooperation with sponsors
The world expo is opposed to too over commercialization of the event. However enterprises are encouraged to demonstrate their latest technology, as long as the products are in accordance with the theme of the exposition. Consequently, the presence of certain sponsors can be felt in every country's pavilion.
One must admit that the United States of America, a good representative of commercialism, is very good at this aspect of the exhibition. One cannot fail to sense the commercial intentions of the sponsors. Upon entering the free pavilion you will find that the statue of Franklin is sponsored by General Motor and the "Wright Brothers" exhibit is sponsored by American Airlines. In addition, among the many sponsors you will find the name "Saatchi & Saatchi", a world-famous advertising company, yet in this case one cannot help but admire Saatchi's professional sensitivity and the American exhibitor's choice.

Perfect alignment with the country's identity
It is not enough to only deliver an interpretation of the world exposition's theme. The theme has to be mixed with a reflection of the country's own culture. This blending of culture must not be done according to "my" cultural identity. Rather it should be carried out in accordance with the visitors' cultural memory of this country. With regard to this aspect, the US exhibitors show a complete understanding. The designer of the pavilion demonstrates a full understanding of the theme "the wisdom of nature" and the popular image of the United States. As a result, after enjoying "the wisdom of nature" in the American style you might find that you yourself have become one of the many followers of the achievements and drive of Benjamin Franklin.

I marvel at the American exhibitor's understanding of "the wisdom of nature". With their care and meticulous treatments, all parts of the exhibition work in harmony and are testimony to the skill with which the exhibition has been coordinated. So charming and enjoyable is the exhibition that the only problem is you might not be able to tear yourself away at the end!