All Chinese people, both at home and abroad, are invited to help fund construction of the majestic China Pavilion, the landmark that will showcase China's national image at the Shanghai World Expo. The official donation channel will be open at the end of the year.

The minimum donation is one yuan (13 US cents), so even schoolchildren can take part.

Construction will begin in November and be completed in two years.

World Expo Shanghai organisers on Saturday announced the donation plan for the 20,000 square-meter China Pavilion during the 9th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention held in Kobe, Japan.

"The Chinese government will finance most of the construction of the pavilion, and at the same time, we will receive donations from Chinese people," Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong told the meeting of business people in Japan.

The donations are strictly voluntary, legal, non-profit and given to the only official receiver: the Bureau of the Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

Minimum donations are set at one yuan (13 US cents), one HK dollar, one US dollar or one euro. The bureau will regularly publish the total of donations received and describe how the funds are being spent.

The China Pavilion, in a prime Expo spot in Pudong, will be designed by the Chinese people and will be a permanent addition to Shanghai's architecture.

More than 300 proposed designs for the China Pavilion have been received since designs were solicited on April 25. A jury is making a final evaluation.

The China Pavilion will embody the theme "Chinese wisdom during urban development." The theme of the Expo is "Better City Better Life."

More than 3,600 overseas Chinese businessmen attended the promotion session for World Expo Shanghai 2010 on Saturday in Kobe, Japan.

Mayor Yang Xiong urged them to take part in the marketing plan of the World Expo Shanghai.

Distinguished scientist Chenning Yang led hundreds of guests in signing a board at the meeting to show their enthusiasm for the Expo.