Expo offers chance to reshape China's image

• Source: Global Times
• [21:42 April 28 2010]
• Comments

Editor's Note:

The 2010 World Expo will formally open in Shanghai Saturday. The Expo is intended to be a platform for cultural exchange that provides countries, regions and organizations the chance to showcase their images and present diverse cultures.

What is the image China will present through the Expo? The Guangdong-based Nanfengchuang magazine (NFC) interviewed Zhou Hanmin (Zhou), deputy director of the 2010 World Expo Executive Committee, on the significance of the Expo in reshaping China's image.

Zhou Hanmin

NFC: You said that China has started to reshape its image since it won the hosting of the 2010 World Expo. What image do you expect China will display through the Expo?

Zhou: China's image should include the inheritance of Chinese culture. The core parts of Chinese culture are self-improvement and social commitment. The reason that Chinese civilization has continued to exist over thousands of years is that continued commitment.

We should also show that China is a unified nation. There are many ethnic groups in China, and the cohesion of ethnic groups should not be ignored.

In addition to this, we should emphasize that, although it has received support from all over the world, China is developing through the efforts of the Chinese people. We hope that the devel-opment of China and other countries can be like the construction of the Expo, where countries, regions and organizations all work together to make the best show possible.

NFC: What image do the Chinese people need to display at the Expo?

Zhou: I expect the Chinese public to be civilized, courteous, patient, kind and self-confident. China is the organizer of the 2010 World Expo, but the host of the Expo is the world. We need to behave modestly at this distinguished exhibition.

Chinese should be more polite to everyone else in the world. These are my expectations of the open-hearted Chinese people.

NFC: What about Shanghai's image?

Zhou: The image of Shanghai should be that of a great city with passion, vision and firm determination. Passion drives the city into development without halt, vision leads Shanghai into the right future, and firm determination sweeps away all difficulties on the road of development.