Shanghai (World Expo)

Inauguration of the French pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai (April 30 2010)

The final stage of the presidential couple’s visit to China is at Shanghai – with 20 million inhabitants the largest city in the country – where the 2010 World Expo is being inaugurated amid much pomp and circumstance. On Friday April 30, the stage is revealed : 192 nations are taking part on a 530 hectare site on the banks of the Huangpu. Tens of billions have been invested ; 100 million visitors are expected in the six months to October 31. The Chinese pavilion is a vast red pagoda, which will be preserved after the Expo closes.

France too has offered its pavilion to the city of Shanghai as a major exhibition centre for the future. President Sarkozy and his wife visit in the company of the actor Alain Delon, who is the French pavilion’s official promoter. The building’s 6,000 square metres are designed by the architect Jacques Ferrier. Combining modernism and tradition, it is built using new fibre-reinforced concrete. French-style gardens suggest the contours of a computer chip. Also attending the opening – and attracting the cameras – is the Chinese actress Gong Li, currently modelling for the French make-up company L’Oréal. The theme of the French pavilion is the ‘sensual city’. The many items on display include a painting by Zao Wou-ki, classics of French cinema, robots, and virtual games on the subject of urban health. « It’s been a moment of magic, » says Nicolas Sarkozy at the conclusion of his visit to China. « We wanted to pay tribute to China at the World Expo by showing off the best of what we have in France ; and China has given us a wonderful welcome. » Carla Bruni-Sarkozy praises the « magnificent hanging gardens, the marvellous works of art – old and modern … I am so proud to be French. » As for Alain Delon, he says he is « always happy to be in China, because for me it is a little bit like home. »