For a very long time, it was thought the earliest Chinese to see World Expo was called Wang Tao, who went to World Expo 1867 in Paris. However, the latest research report from the Contemporary History Archives suggests that Chinese took part as early as the first World Expo in England.

Zhang Wei and his colleagues at the Shanghai Library Contemporary History Archives recently discovered, in the genealogical records of the Xu family, an overseas-products buyer called Xu Deqiong who took part in the England World Expo in 1851 and won a gold award. Then, Zhang Wei also discovered an 1852 publication of the British Royal Academy in which there was strong evidence. In this record, there was a special section devoted specifically to China which basically said that Rongji Silk from Shanghai had gained favorable comment from all quarters for its fine quality and that the Awards Committee had decided to grant a medal to Rongji Silk. This discovery pushed back the historical origins of China and World Expo a full 16 years. These rare and precious historical records will be shown at the World Expo Knowledge Exhibition.