By intern reporter Chen Wei

January 15, Shanghai International Convention Center
We met Wang Chun, vice-mayor of Jiaxing, who came to Shanghai to attend the Metropolis Image Forum.
Clear-minded and soft-spoken, meticulous and resolute, passionate but mild - this is how some Jiaxing journalists described their vice-mayor.
Wang Chun, a native of Shenyang in Liaoning Province, started to work in August 1982. With a master's degree in economics, she has been working in the higher education system for many years before acting as vice-mayor of Jiaxing. The elegant city official clearly expressed her city's strong desire to join in the Expo and push the regional integration at the Yangtze River Delta region at a press conference.
Jiaxing is located between Hangzhou and Shanghai. It has a population of 3.17 million and an area of 3,975 square kilometers. In the metropolitan circle headed by Shanghai and supported by northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, it is geographically closest to Shanghai. Ms. Wang said that with this special geographic advantage, Jiaxing could fully receive the good impact of Shanghai in terms of economy, technology, capital and information.
"Jiaxing is also a host of Expo," said Chen Derong, mayor of Jiaxing, who always stressed it when speaking to reporters about the World Expo. We have also had the same feeling when interviewing Wang Chun. "Jiaxing has pinned great hope on the Expo. When it makes the 11th Five-Year Plan, it will give full consideration to the opportunities that the Expo will bring to Jiaxing."
Similar historical origins of the two cities have led to a cultural identity, which is favorable to their cooperation. Wang said: "If we want to achieve much at the Expo, Jiaxing should help Shanghai successfully illustrate the theme of "Better City, Better Life" by exploring the effective way of cooperation between the two cities."
She said that the remains of Majiabang Culture found in Jiaxing have proved to be the common cultural sources of Shanghai and Jiaxing. Historically, Shanghai was called Xiuzhou, whose county seat was in Jiaxing. Shanghai was not separated from the county until the mid-Ming Dynasty. During the Shanghai World Expo, Wang Chun said that Jiaxing would strive to seek the cultural integration and identify with Shanghai, which will help deepen such cooperation. The city will try to host some of the activities of the Expo in Jiaxing to display the unique urban culture as well as the charm of a developed southern city.
Jiaxing will take an active and supporting role in the World Expo with a purpose to gain the most from the World Expo, said Vice-Mayor Wang, adding that the city will do four things:
First, deepening the connotation of Shanghai-Hangzhou cooperation with the World Expo as a turning point;
Second, building a cooperation passage with transport facilities and system integration as a priority;
Third, taking the lead in building a common market of Shanghai and Jiaxing with tourism and market integration as a point for breakthrough;
Fourth, pushing regional integration with the development zone as a cooperation carrier and corporate collaboration and acquisition as a means.
Wang said with confidence: "We believe that the Shanghai Expo will hasten the socio-economic development in the Yangtze River delta region as well as regional integration. Shanghai, Jiaxing and other cities in the region definitely have a brighter future!"
As a government official, Wang Chun has never concealed her confidence. We were impressed by her concluding remark: "I hope everyone will pay attention to, care about and help Jiaxing."