After Shanghai hosted the last World Expo in 2010, China is making sure it follows up with a grand display at the upcoming edition of the fair to be held in Milan. With five pavilions in the works, China is set to make statements with dramatic architecture, despite the leadership’s call for less ostentatious designs.
The World Expo will be held between May and October on a 110-hectare site in the suburbs of Italy. China is one of 53 countries constructing pavilions, including four corporate pavilions and one national pavilion that will be the second largest after Germany’s.
The World Expo 2015 designs of the pavilions are sculptural and ambitious, much like the “weird” architecture that was criticised by Chinese president Xi Jinping during a high-profile symposium on the arts in October 2014, observed Quartz.
At the time of the official admonishment against odd-looking buildings, architects speculated that the leadership had spelt the demise of the abstract architectural style that China has become famous for. But apparently, it does not apply to the World Expo.
Working with international architects including Daniel Libeskind and Tony Marincola, China will present buildings inspired by everything from the DNA helix to clouds.
Chinese nationals seem to be keen on the showcase. World Expo organisers announced last week that out of the eight million tickets already sold worldwide, Chinese visitors accounted for one million of the tickets.
Giuseppe Sala, the event commissioner, emphasised that Italy only receives between 800,000 to 900,000 Chinese travelers per year, and that the World Expo would be bringing many more than that in just six months.