The Taiwan Pavilion is the best of all 143 national pavilions currently on display at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, according to the latest issue of Flash, a Japanese weekly with a circulation of over 300,000.
In its article the magazine noted that it first selected what it considered to be the 10 best pavilions, and then assigned a numerical score to each of them. With 80 points, Taiwan came out on top, it said.
The Saudi Arabia Pavilion came in at second with 78 points. Costing US$171 million to build, the pavilion was praised for its lavishness as well as its splendid visual effects.
The China Pavilion received 70 points to come in at third. Its traditional architecture was noted by the magazine, as well as its audiovisual rendition of “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” a famous ancient painting dating to the 11th century.
“Even though the Taiwan Pavilion is not particularly impressive in terms of its high-tech applications, its tour guides are extremely thorough, and the warm hospitality of its hosts is an illustration of how Taiwanese and mainland Chinese receive visitors differently,” the Flash article noted.
Other pavilions only give guided tours to VIP guests, according to Yeh Ming-shui, head of the Taiwan Pavilion. “Unlike them, we give guided tours to each and ever visitor. We are the only pavilion that does this,” he said.
Visitors to the pavilion can learn about Taiwan’s environment, history and culture through films screened on the exterior of the building and the 720-degree theater inside.
“Many local governments and private enterprises in mainland China have said they hope the Taiwan Pavilion can stay in the mainland after the Expo is over,” Yeh noted.
But the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, in charge of Taiwan’s representation at the Expo, has indicated it wants the pavilion shipped back to Taiwan. The governments of Tainan and Yilan have both already expressed an interest in caring for it, Yeh said.
Taiwan’s attendance at the Shanghai Expo marks the first time the nation has participated in any expo since the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, Japan. (TYH-HZW)