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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) Delegation to Shanghai World Expo (Shanghai Expo) continued its visit today (May 9) in Shanghai. The delegation visited the China Pavilion, the Hong Kong (HK) Pavilion, the Theme Pavilions and three Pavilions of other countries. Speaking after visiting the China and HK Pavilions, the President of LegCo and leader of the delegation, Hon Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, said that the Shanghai Expo was indeed marvellous and spectacular.
The 42-member delegation first went to tour the China Pavilion in the early morning and were briefed by the docents there in respect of the special features of the Pavilion and its exhibits. Members were particularly impressed by the famous painting in Sung Dynasty "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" that covers the wall with the length of over 100 metres. They then rode a rail train to observe different construction styles of China in different stages of the Chinese history.
The theme of the China Pavilion is "Chinese Wisdom in Urban Development" and it showcases the Chinese wisdom in harmony. The contour design of the Pavilion is based on the concept of "Oriental Crown" which expresses the spirit and disposition of Chinese culture. The area of the Pavilion is 46,457 square metres with a height of 69 metres. The "Dougong" style features wooden brackets fixed layer upon layer between the top of a column and a crossbeam.
Mr Tsang said that in general Members found the China Pavilion really impressive and extraordinary. It demonstrated how advanced the technological development was in China now and that there was a pressing need to put more emphasis on protecting the environment and energy-saving for the sake of the future generations.
After visiting the China Pavilion, Members proceeded to the Hong Kong Pavilion. They began the visit by watching a 3-D movie showing the creative life of Hong Kong. They then walked through a mirror corridor to the middle floor. Members also used the touch screen computers to experience the multi-media interactive technologies. Finally they went to the upper part of the exhibition area to observe a mini Wetland Park featuring the wetland area and facilities in HK.
Mr Tsang pointed out that despite its comparatively small size, the HK Pavilion was full of creative ideas and advanced technologies. "I think that considering the limited space allotted to the HK Pavilion, they (management of the HK Pavilion) had made good use of it and definitely visitors will get the feel of the kind of high technology now applied in HK," he added.
The funding of $114.5 million for the design and construction of the HK Pavilion was approved by the LegCo Finance Committee (FC) in June 2008. The FC also approved $201 million non-recurrent commitment in July 2008 to provide financial support for HKSAR¡¦s participation in Shanghai Expo, including the operation of the HK Pavilion, the design and participation in Urban Best Practices Area exhibitions and other related activities during the exhibition period.
In addition to the China and HK Pavilions, the delegation also visited the Theme Pavilions, including the Pavilions of City Being and Urban Planet. While the theme of life runs through all the exhibitions in the Pavilion of City Being, the Pavilion of Urban Planet tells how the development, sometimes overdevelopment, of cities produces ecological problems, as well as how people react to urbanisation and environmental challenges. Visitors come to understand cities as a source of both problems and solutions.
The delegation attended a lunch hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Japan Pavilion, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion and the African Joint Pavilion and got to know more about the characteristics of different pavilions.
In the evening, the delegation attended a dinner hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People¡¦s Congress and joined the night cruise of Pujiang to observe the latest development of the coastal areas of Pujiang.
The delegation will visit the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) tomorrow (May 10), including the HK UBPA, the Corporate Pavilions and the Pavilions of some other foreign countries. After that, the delegation will complete its three-day visit and fly back to Hong Kong at night.
Ends/Sunday, May 9, 2010
Issued at HKT 23:54
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