Language difficulties

The Shanghai dialect is no longer the dominate language in the city. In the past, the Shanghai dialect was overwhelming - it was spoken everywhere in the city. For visitors to the city, the dialect can be even more incomprehensible than foreign languages. Now, as Shanghai is expected to host 70 million visitors from China and around the world, more residents are studying Mandarin to have better conversations with guests. Mandarin and English are now more often spoken and heard during the Expo than the local dialect.

XIANCN.COM

Art appreciation

Sculptures in the Expo Garden broaden residents' horizons in the field of art. Shanghai residents are gradually realizing the meaning of public art and becoming more tolerant to experimental art. Expo 2010 Shanghai is a great opportunity to promote artworks to the public. Sculptures outside the Expo Garden need to accommodate to the environment, which will impress residents more deeply.

ARTXUN.COM

Virtual Expo

Virtual displays at Expo 2010 Shanghai may disappoint visitors who are used to the exhibition of objects. "We queued for such long time but ended up with only a short video clip," they may say. Objects such as artworks, industrial products and machines are still welcomed at the Expo 2010 Shanghai. Virtual displays become unattractive when they are used too often. Considering the cost of making virtual displays, exhibition planners need to balance the ratio of the "real" and the "virtual" to give visitors' better experiences.

LWGCW.COM

Travel blues

Expo organizers are making great efforts to provide a better experience for queuing visitors in the Expo Garden. Travelers queuing at railway stations during Spring Festivals, however, have not been treated in the same way. If Expo 2010 Shanghai is important for promoting image of China, then chunyun, the mass movement of Chinese people during Spring Festival, is of even more importance. It is expected that travelers will be given better care when they queue at railway stations in the spring of 2011.

XINMIN.CN

(China Daily 08/13/2010)