The 41st Annual World Expo was hosted in Shanghai from May 1st to October 31st, 2010. With the theme "Better City, Better Life", the Shanghai World Expo was the largest in history. More than 190 countries, 56 international organizations, and 73 million visitors combined to form this historical first.
A total of 18 enterprise pavilions were included in the World Expo. As the first independently constructed Taiwanese corporate pavilion in the past 160 years, AURORA Group chose the theme: "New City Styles Interpreted by Chinese Jade Culture". The half-year exhibition attracted more than 2.3 million visitors from around the world, spreading word of China's lengthy classic history of jade culture to the world and placing AURORA in the international spotlight!
Pavilion Features
The beauty of jade is delicate, charming, warm and reserved, enthralling Chinese people throughout history. In the Puxi area of the World Expo Shanghai there was an L-shaped ivory building. The L stood for "li"(etiquette) in Chinese, symbolizing that China is a nation of etiquette. A mysterious six-meter-tall statue sat atop the pavilion, the Hongshan Jade humanoid figure with more than 6,500 years of history. He watched over the World Expo and greeted visitors from all directions.
The inspiration for the pavilion comes from Confucius' view of jade. The great ancient scholar of China had summarized 11 virtues of jade, among which five have been well accepted and passed on, including medium (liao); the workmanship (gong); the form (xing); and the decorative motifs (wen) ,all symbolizing virtues which should be carried on. The exhibition will continue those virtues and develop them in line with new city styles, expressing the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life."
Unique Features
Based on the principles of "safety, refinement and environment protection," the pavilion uses environment-friendly materials, equipment and lights to better express the concept of "Chinese Jade Culture and New City Styles."
Pavilion Highlights
The exhibition has different themed sections with a lot of highlights. For instance, two 6-meter-high Hongshan Jade humanoid figur based on prototypes from 6,500 years ago during the Hongshan period will stand on the top of the roof; a 3D movie will tell the tale of the "Goddess of Sky-patching"; and more than 30 jade relics dating from the Hongshan period to the Qing dynasty from the AURORA Museum will be displayed at the same time. Finally, visitors will have close access to a 2.5-ton precious jade block carving completed in 1962, as well as Beijing Olympics' gold medals made of jade. Visitors can enjoy both visual and audio materials that will help them to appreciate the medium (liao); the workmanship (gong); the form (xing); and the decorative motifs (wen) of the cultural jade relics, and to see how jade culture has evolved into the jade wearing tradition of today.
Hongshan Jade humanoid figure
As one of the representative pieces of the AURORA Museum, the Hongshan Jade humanoid figure has more than 6,500 years of history. He is a precious jade carving from the Hongshan period. His face is in the shape of a dragon, while his body is in human form. The four horns and two ears on his head resemble the sun's rays, which is why he is also referred to as the Sun God. In olden times, the Hongshan Jade humanoid figure was often used in the worship of nature. It is also thought to keep people safe. The Hongshan Jade humanoid figure stood watch over the World Expo 2010 Shanghai night and day, just like a guardian.
C Dragon
The C dragon was originally referred to as the "Hongshan Jade Dragon", or "First Dragon of China". The Chinese race has always been referred to as the "descendants of dragons". To modern Chinese people, the image of a dragon is more of a symbol which evokes strong emotional ties. Titles such as "dragon's children", "descendants of dragons" often inspire passion, power, and pride in people. Thus, the AURORA Pavilion placed three two-meter-tall C Dragons in the courtyard for visitors to take photos with.
Goddess of Sky-patching
Goddess of Sky-patching, a film showed at the AURORA Pavilion, was the first 3D animation about the Goddess of Sky-patching in history. The film is three minutes long, and it takes the audience on a trip through time to better understand jade culture and the origin of jade. State of the art 3D technologies were utilized in the making of this film so that audience members felt immersed in the environment as they experienced the stunning effects of the newest audiovisual technologies.
2.5 ton Jade Mountain
This Jade mountain was created with the theme "climbing the Himalayas" and took 13 premier jade carvers three years to complete. When Premier Zhou Enlai saw this piece in 1972, he called it a "national grade art piece". The culmination of seven thousand years in jade carvings, this piece conveys the majesty of Mount Everest to the public while also symbolizing that we have to work hard before each success!
3D Hologram
3D hologram technology records and replicates real 3D image records so that observers can view the hologram from all 360 degrees. Not only does this present the audience with perfect representations of these jade pieces, it showcases the development of 3D holograms in the nation.
Gold Medal Made of Jade
This combination of gold and jade was utilized in the 2008 Beijing Olympics' gold medals made of jade. This left a lasting impression on the world.
World Expo Memories Forever, the Eternal AURORA Pavilion
A total of 2.3 million people visited the AURORA Pavilion from May 1 to October 31, 2010. In these 184 days, the AURORA Pavilion has utilized creative methods and approximately 20 minutes of "interesting, lively, comprehensible" exhibition content to present China's 8000 years of jade culture to visitors. Each visitor was able to fully immerse himself in this enthralling experience.
The World Expo came to an official close on October 31, yet one participating corporate pavilion: the AURORA Pavilion will go down in history forever!