The Expo site will also become one of the world’s most packed museums as many countries have decided to bring their national treasures to the event.

Denmark’s Little Mermaid, Japan’s Monk Jianzhen statue, and paintings by Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne from the Musee d’Orsay will be displayed. Moreover, a mysterious national treasure will be on show at the China Pavilion.

Activities greeting the one year countdown to the opening of the 2010 World Expo will are held in Pudong Disctrict, Shanghai. The one year countdown to the opening of the 2010 World Expo will be marked on May 1, 2009. (Xinhua Photo)

Every day, more than 100 performances will be held across the Expo site. China’s Shaolin and Wudang kung fu will fight for mastery. The Joint-Africa Pavilion will be a paradise of the continent’s folk music. Visitors can also become performers at the Expo by joining a 1,000-person chorus.

If they feel tired, visitors will be able to take the weight off their feet at the Expo Center while listening to a forum about the future of our cities.

The Urban Best Practices Area is one of the innovations of the Shanghai event. Experiences of tackling the problems facing the world’s urban areas will be shared by more than 50 cities, while Shanghai’s “eco-house” will display an idealized living space.

The Expo will also be a real feast. Chinese cooking, French wine, wild fish from Finland, Mexican hoecake and Japanese cuisine will be on offer. And shopping fans will be busy in the Expo site, too. Almost all the pavilions will devote about 20 percent of their space to shopping areas, so people can pick up souvenirs or buy products from across the world without leaving the city.