A senior organizer of next year's World Expo yesterday invited Taiwan residents to visit the Shanghai fair during a promotional campaign on the island.

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, delivers a speech.[expo2010.cn]

Zhong Yanqun, fulltime deputy director of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai Executive Committee, said the Taiwan Pavilion has attracted wide attention and been hailed by experts for its unique design and "lantern-like" outlook.

She was convinced that the Expo would serve as an important platform in promoting cross-Strait exchange and cooperation with the joint efforts of people.

Celebrities including Taiwan supermodel and actress Lin Chi-ling and singer and host Tao Ching Ying have been appointed as ambassadors of the pavilion to help promote the island's participation, Chih Kang Wang, chairman of the Taipei World Trade Center, announced.

He also called on Taiwanese to visit the Expo and experience Taiwan's beauty of mountains and water and savor its culture and history.

The Taiwan Pavilion celebrated its topping-off ceremony on Thursday and its main structure is expected to be finished by the year's end.

The 1,000-square-meter pavilion will be a transparent cube housing a giant ball at its center. Its exhibition theme is "Mountain, Water, Heart and Lantern."

Taiwan is actively promoting the event. It has set up a Website for its pavilion and recruited ambassadors and staff.

Zhong also met Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin yesterday and talked about the Expo's preparation and Taipei's exhibits for the Urban Best Practices Area - a wireless city and a recycling program.