Ten people who visited the virtual Canada Pavilion at online Expo (www.expo.com) were given a VIP tour of the real one yesterday after winning the pavilion's VIP access in an online lucky draw.
They were greeted by Canada's Expo Commissioner General Mark Rowswell, better known by his Chinese name "Da Shan." Rowswell became famous after starring in CCTV entertainment shows with his humerous cross-talk. The ten guests also received gifts from the pavilion.
Meng Tianyu, 13, said his classmates had waited for about 30 minutes outside the pavilion and he was really lucky to win the VIP tour.
The Canada Pavilion receives about 35,000 to 38,000 visitors every day, far beyond the operators' expectation. The pavilion has welcomed nearly 3 million visitors so far and would achieve a record number in the history of Canada's Expo participation, said Rowswell.
The virtual Canada Pavilion at www.expo.com gets about 40,000 hits every day. Rowswell said he hoped the online platform would help the Chinese experience the multicultural glamour of his country.
Ten online visitors are picked every week to enter pavilions and enjoy such privileges as personal guide, VIP room, and even VIP sauna in the Finland Pavilion.
About 30 pavilions, especially the most popular ones, have been invited to take part in the online lucky draw. Visitors can register at www.expo.cn and leave their mobile phone numbers for the lucky draw.
