【10.03.26 路透社】没有最大，只有更大，这就是中国风格的世博会

满仓

【中文标题】没有最大，只有更大，这就是中国风格的世博会
【原文标题】It's big, it's back, it's the World Expo: China style
【登载媒体】路透社
【原文作者】Farah Master
【原文链接】http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE62P0YM20100326


有什么能比筹备北京奥运会更昂贵？有什么能覆盖广大一片区域，并强迫国家和跨国公司大肆挥霍数百万美元？这就是中国最新的面子工程。



2010年3月25日，一名工人在上海世博会中国馆中调试灯光。2010年上海世博会从5月1日持续到10月31日，据官方网站的数据，会有7000万人前来参观。


看来中国真的是想给后代创造一个后奥运时代的遗产，它在准备上海世博会上的投入超过了以往任何一件事，42亿美元的投入将把世界展览集会改造成一个全民狂欢的表演。

尽管之前在萨拉格萨和汉诺威举办的世博会几乎没有引起任何注意，但是上海却掀起了一股宣传攻势，参展国家不遗余力地想要给7000万参观者留下好印象。

驻上海的零售咨询公司Access Asia的首席中国顾问Paul French说：“这其实是部分国家用来拉拢中国的手段。对澳大利亚和法国这样的国家来说，这笔投入可以算作是补救款，类似于给皇帝的贡品。他们在为过去几年里给中国制造的麻烦而道歉”

191个参展国中的大部分都史无前例地投入巨额资金修建展出馆，全部由政府牵头出资。一些国家的首脑，包括法国总统萨科齐答应出席展会。

德国经济科技部委员长Dietmar Schmitz说：“世博会受到了与奥运会和世界杯的同等待遇。”

德国花费了6700万美元修建展馆，游客可以在那里品尝传统的德国食品，比如油煎香肠和巴伐利亚猪蹄。

沙特阿拉伯宇宙飞船造型的展馆已近完工，它有点像一个大沙枣，上面有一个1600平米的电影银幕（相当与一个足球场的四分之一面积）。其对面是尚未完工展馆的乱糟糟施工现场。

沙特展馆的建造费用最昂贵，达1.46亿美元。澳大利亚展馆7600万美元，法国6800万美元。


民族骄傲

中国是第一个承办世博会的发展中国家，当地官员期望这个从5月1日到10月31日的盛会可以提高上海作为一个全球化城市的地位。

世博会宣传处主任魏续（音译）说：“这次世博会可以让中国人更了解其它国家，也可以让外国人更加了解我们。”他还说，美国展馆可以让中国人和美国人聚在一起更好地沟通。

30岁的唐春燕（音译）是上海市中心一家新装修过的购物商城的服务员，她说：“上海将来肯定和纽约一样。”

上海熙熙攘攘的传统食品街——吴江路，以水煎包和臭豆腐闻名。政府在世博会前关闭了这条街，商家和小贩都被请进了装有空调的商场里。

唐说关闭小吃一条街是件好事，因为环境更清洁了。“有人说老环境一去不返了，但是这正表明上海在迅速地发展呀。”

尽管上海在竭力清除沿街叫卖的小贩和街上一切碍眼的东西，就像北京在奥运会之前所采取的行动那样，但是世博会的主要受众并不是国外游客，当地官员预计只有5％的参观者来自海外。

上海PSA商业风险咨询集团的策略师Greg Hallahan说：“更值得关注的是中国和中国政府如何在中国人面前推销自己、证明自己的实力。”


过度紧张的安防

上海市政府花费了450亿美元来升级当地的交通和基础设施，还花费了7亿美元整修著名的江边步行道（译者注：指外滩）。仅仅一年时间里，这个城市的地铁总长度就翻了一番，达到420公里。新启用的航站楼可以接纳每天数万名游客。

世博会官员说，确保城市的安全是最大的挑战，尽管安全防范措施已经有些过分了。

警察和保安牵着德国牧羊犬在金融地带巡逻，并向写字楼里的职员发放用来识别炸弹的小册子。地铁乘客的行李需要通过类似机场里用的安检机。

尽管上海以举办“世界级盛会”而感到骄傲，甚至还为这个城市带来了法国的音乐喷泉，但并不是所有的居民都认为自己在这次展示活动中有所受益。

上海一位54岁的出租车司机说：“世博会不过是在展示中国多么有钱，这用的都是普通人的钱。”他只允许透露自己的姓氏“常”。“这不会证明中国是一个发达国家，我们还有那么多的穷人。”他还说自己和家人宁愿看电视转播，而不会去花160元买票参观。



原文：

A work adjusts a lighting installation inside the Chinese Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo site in Shanghai March 25, 2010. The Shanghai World Expo 2010 is due to run from May 1-Oct 31, with about 70 million visitors expected to attend, according to its official website. Picture taken March 25, 2010.

SHANGHAI (Reuters Life!) - What's more expensive than the Beijing Olympics, covers a vast territory and is forcing countries and international companies to splash out millions of dollars? It's China's latest publicity project.

If China was serious about creating a legacy after the Beijing Olympics, it is outshining all its past efforts for the Shanghai World Expo, spending $4.2 billion on reinventing the world's exhibition fair as a blowout extravaganza.

While previous expos in Zaragoza and Hanover went largely unnoticed on the global agenda, Shanghai is creating such a promotional ruckus, that countries are going all out to impress an expected 70 million visitors.

"It's for countries to cozy up. For countries like Australia or France, it's make-up money, a tribute to the emperor. They are apologizing for all the trouble caused in the last few years," said Paul French, chief China analyst with retail consultancy Access Asia in Shanghai.

Of 191 countries attending, most are investing record amounts to build pavilions, with governments taking the lead in providing the bulk of investment and heads of state, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, promising to make an appearance.

"The Expo plays in the same league as the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup, said Dietmar Schmitz, commissioner general of Germany's Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Germany is spending $67 million on its pavilion which will let visitors sample traditional dishes like bratwurst sausage and Bavarian pork knuckle.

Saudi Arabia's spaceship pavilion, which features desert date palms and a 1,600 square-meter cinema screen (about a quarter the size of a soccer pitch), stands almost fully completed, gleaming against muddy construction rubble at adjacent unfinished sites.

The Saudi pavilion is the most expensive at $146 million, while Australia is spending $76 million and France is shelling out $68 million.

DOMESTIC PRIDE

China is the first developing nation to host the World Expo and officials hope the event, held from May 1-Oct 31, will improve Shanghai's position as a global city.

"It will let Chinese people understand foreign countries much better and help them better understand us," said Xu Wei, communication and promotion deputy director for the Expo. The U.S. pavilion, he said, could serve as a place where Americans and Chinese could come together and better communicate.

"Shanghai will definitely be like New York in the future," said Tang Chunyan, 30, a shop assistant in a newly renovated mall in downtown Shanghai.

Shanghai's bustling, historic food street, Wu Jiang road, known for dumplings and smelly tofu, had to close ahead of the expo, with street vendors rehoused in the airconditioned mall.

Tang said redevelopment of the "xiao chi," or snack, food street was a good thing because of a cleaner environment.

"It is sad that the old style is gone but it shows Shanghai is developing fast."

While Shanghai is stripping hawkers and various eyesores off its streets as Beijing did before the Olympics, the event is not targeted primarily for an international audience. Officials expect only 5 percent of the visitors to be from outside China.

"Much more of the focus is China and the Chinese government promoting themselves and promoting their capabilities to their own citizens," said Greg Hallahan, strategist at business risk consultancy PSA Group in Shanghai.

SECURITY IN OVERDRIVE

Shanghai's government has spent $45 billion to upgrade transport and infrastructure and $700 million on renovating the historic Bund riverfront promenade. In just a year, the city has doubled the metro system to 420 km (260 miles) of track and opened a new airport terminal to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors per day.

Keeping the city safe is one of the biggest challenges, Expo officials said, with security measures already in overdrive.

Police stand guard with German shepherd dogs in the financial district and have distributed a brochure to office workers for identifying bombs. Subway commuters pass through airport-style baggage checks.

While Shanghai prides itself on putting on a "World class event," complete with musical fountains from France, not all residents feel they are benefiting from the showcase exhibition.

"The Expo is just showing China has money, using ordinary people's money to make it," said a 54-year-old Shanghai taxi driver who identified himself only by his surname Chang.

"It is not showing China is developed. China still has so many poor people," Chang said, adding that his family could watch the Expo on television rather than pay 160 yuan ($23.50) for a ticket.