May 2008: Residents of Haiyue Residential Community welcome the arrival of the Haibao statue into their community. (Courtesy of Wuliqiao Street Community)

Feng Jianzhong, president of the Collectors Association of Shanghai Pudong New Area, has long remained dedicated to collecting Chinese exhibits sent to previous World Expo events. by Tang Tao

The house of Peng Xuewei, a private Shanghai collector, holds various Expo treasures. This delicate pottery teapot is etched with the words “FOR PANAMA EXPOSITION REPUBLIC OF CHINA EXHIBITS 1915.” by Tang Tao

The famous Chinese scissors brand “Zhangxiaoquan” won a prize at the San Francisco Expo in 1915. Shanghai citizen Guo Naixing collected the scissors and its packaging. by Tang Tao

Ying Shuming displays his Expo collectable World Tour by Li Gui, clerk of Zhejiang Province Customs of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The book records the 1876 Philadelphia World Expo, the first to which China dispatched a delegation to participate. by Tang Tao

Community Cause

Five urban communities surround the site of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China. Comprising 3 square kilometers, Wuliqiao Street Community is among them. A basic jurisdictional area of Shanghai, Wuliqiao Street Community shares 690,000 square meters with the Expo Site. And its 840,000 square meters of land is being employed as an Expo extension.

Shen Juan, with the Wuliqiao Street Community Working Committee, explained that since Shanghai’s successful bid for Expo 2010, positive changes have taken place in the community. The flat roofs of dwellings were renovated into angled designs; more greenery was planted; the community park was expanded and public facilities were reconstructed, such as repairing and cleaning the water pipes to guarantee the purity of the secondary water supply. Various measures have been taken to enhance the livelihood of residents and to make the community environment more attractive, according to Shen.

One of the first batch of trial street communities applied to Shanghai’s new municipal administrative system, Wuliqiao boasts a prime location and an industrial advantage. During past large-scale events held in Shanghai, like the Special Olympics and other international exchange programs, many foreign visitors stayed within the Wuliqiao Street Community to experience Shanghai local life. Near the Expo Site, Wuliqiao Street Community is again the top choice for visiting foreigners.

The approaching Expo 2010 has generated rising enthusiasm among Wuliqiao residents. On the community square, the locals have spontaneously organized various campaigns to welcome Shanghai Expo; the statue of the Expo mascot, Haibao, has attracted kids at play; local inhabitants express their good wishes for the Expo with pictures, calligraphy and handworks.

Some residents were relocated to make room for the land requisition of the Expo Site construction. Some may have regretted saying goodbye to their old neighbors, but they were generally happy with the relocation policy. Some households were relocated into the Pujiang Expo Garden, a newly-built residential community; some received relocation compensation and purchased houses in other areas of Shanghai; and those who have a second house in Shanghai were able to pocket their compensation. The residential relocation for the Expo Site is now complete.

The relocation compensation standard fluctuated according to timing and location. At Wuliqiao Street Community, the government paid 20,000 yuan per square meter to relocated residents. Most people were pleased with the standard. “The relocated family can increase their living space up to 40 to 50 percent. Those who had one room can buy one and half rooms at a comparable location in Shanghai,” says Zhou Fulin, a senior residing in a high rise in the community. He was a little regretful that his house was not in the area of relocation, but he is pleased that the Subway Line 13 will pass through the area and one of the stops is close to his building. He is also pleased with the environmental improvement around his community, and the fact that in the future he can stand on his balcony, taking in the view of the Expo Site.

Expo Collections

A residential house in South Pudong Road, near the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, accommodates dozens of certificates and medals of previous World Expos. The proprietor is Tang Deshun.

Silver haired Tang is a retired senior engineer who has focused on Expo certificate and medal collection for many years. When asked why he began the collection, he replied, “I have witnessed the rapid development of my country over the past years. And I predicted that China would hold a World Expo sooner or later. So 15 years ago, I began to collect medals and certificates concerning World Expos,” noted Tang. To date, Tang possesses about 50 medals and certificates from the past 27 World Expos, including the medals of first World Expo held in London in 1851. He has become the representative of private collectors in the Expo medal and certificate collection field.

Tang is not the only one with a strong attachment to the World Expo. During the countdown period to the Shanghai Expo, the Collectors Association of Shanghai Pudong New Area conducted an Expo Treasure Exhibition. Local private collectors brought hundreds of personal collectables, reminding the audience of old memories of Shanghai cherishing the World Expo.

Since Shanghai’s bid for World Expo began, the Association has set out to look for collections of World Expo home and abroad. To date, more than 1,000 items have been collected, including medals of the first World Expo held in London in 1851, according to Feng Jianzhong, head of Collectors Association of Shanghai Pudong New Area. Chinese exhibits sent to previous World Expo events and having won prizes were also collected, including pottery teapot displayed at San Francisco Expo in 1915, book World Tour by Li Gui published in 1878 and famous brand articles like Meihuali clock, Dujinsheng textile, Huasheng electric fan, the Zhangxiaoquan scissors and the Shengxifu hat. Precious historical materials like participation catalogues of Shanghai businessmen at the San Francisco Expo of 1915 were also displayed. These varied valuable collections not only exhibit the wisdom of Chinese people, but also reflect the Chinese people’s good wishes for the coming Expo.