| The World Expo: A Fulcrum
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| Date:26/08/2006 |
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As I type this article, bright red blossoms and green willows are swaying
outside the window. The spring scenery stimulates my imagination, and the Greek
scholar Archimedes’remark comes to mind.‘Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the
world!’
Can the World Expo be such a fulcrum? Can we change human life
through the World Expo?
There may be a great variety of answers, because
the World Expo is a topic which can inspire the imagination. As the title of an
article in this issue says, you make the world more beautiful. The World Expo
has a history of only 150 years, however, it has played a significant role in
the world, or more specifically, of a country or region—this is really
marvelous.
History can foreshadow the future. Thus, when the news that
China had won the bid for the 2010 Expo broke, everyone considered what it meant
to them: Common citizens counted on the World Expo to improve their life,
entrepreneurs hoped to find business opportunities from the Expo, designers hope
to have their names engraved in the history of the Expo, young people intend to
ride on the crest of success, and scholars desire to see their predications
being realized in 2010.
The outlook is bright, especially for those who
will part from their old residences. Therefore, our journalists began to record
the changes brought about by the Expo since the very beginning by means of
filming and writing, thus we have“East Study in Gradual Change”. The journalists
even picture themselves enjoying these photos in 2010 with immense
pleasure.
Imagination may also give rise to more questions, otherwise, we
would not have the story of the man in the state of Qi who was haunted by fear
that the sky might fall. But Archimedes was not talking nonsense, for his remark
had a scientific basis. Great men have extraordinary imaginations, whereas we
common people should base our imagination on reality. For example, as far as
urban traffic is concerned, during the 184 days in 2010, an estimated 70 million
visitors will flock to Shanghai, a pleasant surprise tinged with worry.
Professors from Tongji University demonstrate great intelligence in solving the
problem of traffic congestion in“Thoughts on the Traffic System for the Shanghai
World Expo”, thus, we can believe that our imagination of the future Expo
traffic system is not just a pipedream.
The more practical thing about
the World Expo is the opportunities it brings, which may also be of the greatest
interest to people engaged in industry and commerce. In“Forefront Report on Expo
Economy”, the author makes an analysis of the opportunities and challenges
brought by the World Expo to Shanghai with a series of figures and tables, which
can give substance to our imagination.
Imagination is not unique to
mankind, but the imagination of mankind is definitely marvelous, for it can
change reality.“A Rarely Known Bidding History”relates how an epic story is
derived from a simple assumption. The author does not give an explicit answer to
the question at the beginning of the article, but I believe the readers can draw
their own conclusion.
The radiant and enchanting spring scene stimulates
our imagination, here, I’d like to express my sincere hope that the EXPO 2010
SHANGHAI CHINA can bring boundless imagination to our dear readers.
The
Editorial Department
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