SHANGHAI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- With the clock ticks near the opening of the Shanghai World Expo, China is gearing up in an effort to present a successful and impressive World Expo, running from May 1 to Oct. 31.
It was the first time for the 159-year-old World Expo to be held in a developing country since the inaugural fair in London in 1851. Following are China's connection with the event:
Xu Rongcun, a businessmen in the Qing Dynasty, was the first Chinese to join a World Expo. The silk produced by Xu's company won the prize for China in the first World Expo in London in 1851.
In 1894, Zheng Guanying, a well-known Chinese thinker, proposed the idea of hosting the World Expo in Shanghai in his masterpiece Sheng Shi Wei Yan, or words of warning in times of prosperity.
The People's Republic of China made its first debut at the World Expo 1982 in Knoxvile, the United States. The China Pavilion, with a display of ten old bricks from the Great Wall, terracotta warriors and bronze chariots of Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb, amazed the visitors.
In May 1993, China was accepted as the 46th member country of the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE), enabling the country to bid to host the World Expo.
