USA Pavilion held its pavilion day ceremony in Expo Center yesterday morning. Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and China’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Zhaoxing attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.
Albright regarded USA Pavilion as a good platform for people to communicate, showcase and perform. She expressed her gratitude for Expo Shanghai organisers’ good services. She had visited China for five times in her four-year secretary period. Albright said she was happy to see the continuous development of bilateral relations. In the United States, there are more than 100,000 Chinese students while more and more Americans are getting interested in China. She said China Pavilion had given her a great impression, and she could see China’s splendid future through the items on display.
Li Zhaoxing said USA Pavilion just like a flying eagle, and it stood for Americans’ bravery and power, attracting world visitors. China and America are good friends, he said, noting that both countries have established 36 pairs of sister provinces and 153 pairs of sister cities. He said Chinese and US people all have a dream to expand our friendship, pursue a sustainable development for the world, chase better lives and achieve the harmonious relation between people as well as between people and the nature.
In the ceremony, US soprano Angela Brown sang the American national anthem, followed by a performance from the USC Trojan Marching Band. This is the fifth time the marching band showed on World Expo’s stage. The band’s conductor said: “We are very excited to be here. We believe it will be a memorable experience for us to perform in Expo Shanghai. I’m also looking forward to perform for USC alumni in Shanghai.”
USA pavilion in Zone C bears the theme “Rising to the Challenge,” focusing on sustainability, teamwork, health and the Chinese community of America. Showcasing American business, technology, culture and values, the theme expresses the American spirit of innovation and creativity.
Visitors will go through an exhibition in four parts. Each part contains an eight-minute video and a four-minute rest. It’s about one hour to finish touring the USA Pavilion, which has treated 2 million visitors since it opened to the public.
