By Ren Yi

The exterior of the Australian Pavilion is quite eye-catching, as the fa?ade is an artwork of stainless steel panels with laser-cut intricate patterns, some resembling planets as if the whole fa?ade were a sky dotted with stars. The fa?ade shines by day, and glows brightly by night, making the Australian Pavilion always a bright light. The design of this beautiful work of art pays homage to Japanese art traditions through its echoes of origami, the ancient art of folded paper, which is then integrated with the latest cutting edge technology to create the dazzling work. Taking a closer look, visitors could find some hidden features including some of Australia's best known constellations. This subtle, intricate fa?ade exhibits the features of a clean, outgoing and glamorous Australia, and brings the southern sky to the northern hemisphere.
The theme of the Australian Pavilion is "We have to protect and preserve our environment for future generations," and the public exhibition is a story in three parts.
Act one is a 3-D theater using high-tech visual display to introduce a story relating to the Australian indigenous people and fire. The theater is not big, covering an area of just around 30 square meters, and in its back and right part there is an irregular pentagon area reserved for English listeners, who can listen to the English interpretation via the overhead earphones.
The short, 10-minute film features a high-tech holographic display of a brown baobab tree (called the boab in Australia) with a swollen base trunk, a unique plant that exists in the desert of Australia. As an embodiment of the indigenous Australian culture and traditions, the baobab tree survives the storms and lightning in nature. The vivid 3-D cartoon prototypes and simple storytelling takes the viewers back 65,000 years to the Australia of the Dreamtime. The story of the ancient baobab tree reflects the power of nature, depicting the indigenous people's close relationship with nature.
Act Two is called the "Data Forest" - a high-tech "forest" of about 80 erect plasma screens that project a dynamic and fun image of contemporary Australia through short audiovisual presentations. This exhibition room is brightly lit in a soft and warm yellow light. Around 10 TV screens in the shape of trees stand in the center of the round exhibition area. At the bottom of the poles are black speakers, and up from the speakers there are around three or four oblong plasma screens on each pole. In between the screens and the ceiling are mirrors of equal sizes to the screens, reflecting the images shown on neighboring screens, which might be mistaken as screens if you don't take a closer observation.

Viewers can watch the forests outside the TV screens, and they can also walk in amongst the poles to take a closer look. The screens on the central four poles attempt to display the 'wind, water, fire and earth' elements of the nature, with the images of each screen closely related despite depicting different aspects of the nature, representing images of contemporary Australia - the multicultural, harmonious, modern and economically developed society.
Act three focuses upon the model of a 12-meter platypus living by the lake, one of Australia's rarest animals and the star exhibit of the Australian Pavilion, making the Australian Pavilion one of the must-see pavilions for the local children. The lovely platypus is a small but sensitive animal, only living in clean environment. Australia has started to clean up its rivers several decades before, leading to an increased number of platypuses. It is the primary task for the Australian government to take care of all the creatures in nature by creating a safe and sustainable environment for future development.
The platypus, which has lived on the earth in its current form for some 65,000 years, has been selected as the mascot of the Australian pavilion, attracting many visitors to experience the traditional cultures and unique natural environment of the Australian indigenous people. Visitors stop by the giant platypus model to take pictures. In addition, platypus, kangaroo, and koala toys as well as key rings are also well received among visitors.
The Australian Pavilion reminds us that we should care about all the creatures, and create an environment that is safe and sustainable.