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A sphere, which has a diameter of 3 meters and a surface covered with around 400,000 LEDs, is the highlight of the Germany Pavilion. |
A city that offers the best of all worlds can be found in the pavilion, Yu Ran reports.
As one of the most popular pavilions in the Expo Garden, the Germany Pavilion creates a city balancing renewal and preservation, innovation and tradition, urbanity and nature, and society and its individuals.
"Our theme, 'Balancity', represents a combination of the terms balance and city," said Marion Conrady, the press officer at the Germany Pavilion.
The landscapes in a huge pendulum, a symbol of "Balancity", communicate the image of a city where both renewal and conservation are important. Designed specifically for the Germany Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai, the high degree of complexity of this structure is belied by its playful, light-hearted air and is an impressive demonstration of state-of-the-art German technology in balance.
"In terms of area, participant numbers and visitors, the Expo 2010 is expected to clearly top the highest numbers achieved at the previous World Expos in Seville, Hanover and Aichi," Conrady said.
To get to the entrance, visitors walk across a terraced landscape, passing through a tunnel to reach a harbor. The path then leads them through a planning office, a garden and a park to a factory across from the city square. Then, they arrive at the Energy Source, the city's power station. In all of these spaces, innovative processes, ideas and products from Germany are presented that all help to enhance life in the city.
In the high-tech area, the factory presents innovative material developments from Germany. Organic materials, such as poplar fluff and artificial spider's silk, and high-tech products, such as pollutant-neutralizing roof tiles and fabric-reinforced concrete, are on display for guests to touch, feel and smell.
"I'm quite interested in the high-tech products, especially those car components, which show off the advanced and professional technology of German enterprises," said Lin Bingfan, a staffer from a German car manufacturer in Shenzhen.
The Energy Source is regarded as the top attraction at the Germany Pavilion because it combines technology and entertainment.
"It is the heart of 'Balancity' and the ultimate highlight of the Germany Pavilion, the source of power and zest for life," said Conrady.
But it is the visitors that are the source of the energy.
Visitors enter an energy-laden room with an exciting light show. Then they spread out across three galleries from where they can see the room's focal point: a sphere. The sphere is 3 meters in diameter and its surface is covered with about 400,000 LEDs.
"We can use our voices alone to create an interactive sphere full of energy and fun. The huge ball develops a breathtaking momentum during the seven-minute show. Both adults and children enjoyed it a lot," said Paul Macdonald, a 60-year old retired English teacher from Canada.
Jens and Yanyan, the two virtual characters who accompany visitors on their journey through the pavilion, appear in person in the Energy Source. They welcome the visitors, get them to clap and shout and show that they, the spectators, are the source of energy to make the sphere move and glow.
"It's quite exciting that we could see the virtual characters Jens and Yanyan at the end of our tour. I liked playing the ball swinging game. It was worth the two-hour wait," said Chen Shuo, a 9 year-old boy who came to the Expo with his parents.
(China Daily 06/18/2010 page34)
