scene of the opening ceremony

Shanghai Expo mascot Haibao appears at the opening ceremony

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The World Expo national tour exhibition opened in Tianjin Municipality this morning, marking the start of a series of activities during the Shanghai Expo promotional week.

Shanghai vice mayor Yang Xiong said at the opening ceremony that hosting a successful Expo required the support and participation of domestic provinces and municipalities. Yang expressed hope that Shanghai and Tianjin would further strengthen cooperation in issues regarding Expo 2010.

Ren Xuefeng, vice mayor of Tianjin said the promotion week as well as the exhibition would offer a rare opportunity for Tianjin residents to get closer to Expo 2010 and boost the municipality's preparation work for its participation at the grand event.

A large statue of Shanghai Expo mascot Haibao was unveiled at Tianjin Museum after the opening ceremony.

The exhibition would display about 200 photos and other exhibits to give a complete picture of World Expo history dating to 1851 and how it influenced civilization and cultural development.

A special section in the exhibition will showcase the awards that Tianjin's products won at past Expos. These include Yangliuqing New Year Pictures and painted sculptures of Clay Figurine Zhang that were given golden awards at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

The exhibition as well as the promotion week will run through April 28.

Tianjin residents visit the exhibition