Monday, April 26, 2010

Shanghai World Expo Set to Open

SHANGHAI (AP) -- Visitors to Shanghai's World Expo say organizers have plenty of kinks to iron out before the event -- the biggest-ever World's Fair -- formally opens on May Day. "Three big suggestions for fixes: space, time and mindset," the Shanghai Morning Post said Wednesday in the closest China's state-controlled media came to criticizing the Expo's first seven-hour trial run, involving 200,000 people. Visitors said they were disappointed with the food, the long lines and the limited number of pavilions open by the time they finally got through security checks and into the vast Expo park. "Before I went, I was mentally prepared that it would be very crowded, but it turns out I underestimated," said Ding Yangshen, a 64-year-old retired engineer, who visited the park with his wife using trial-run tickets from his government-worker son. The Expo, which runs May 1-Oct. 31, showcases the latest in concepts for "Better City, Better Life" in pavilions from practically every country and many international organizations, cities and big corporations. Some 70 million people are expected to visit, and organizers have said they will limit the number entering the park on any single day to 600,000.

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