Expo 2010 Shanghai: USA Pavilion hits 1 million visitors
"Tickle me, I'm full of lead."
It only took one month for 1 million people to visit the USA Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Of course, in China, that’s really not that difficult of a goal to reach — as a million people randomly looking for the restroom walk into a single gas station every month as well.
But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doesn’t just walk into any loo, and USA Pavilion isn’t just any stage at the the world expo. The pavilion is expected to have more than six million people visit it during the six month expo — roughly 35,000 people
Yeah, we're not sure who this is either but he's singing up a storm at the USA Pavilion.
every day — none of who are allowed to search the Internet on Google.
“I am very proud of what we have accomplished in the past month,” said Ambassador Jose H. Villarreal, U.S. Commissioner General in a news release sent to HTG. “In the span of just 30 days, we have greeted visitors and dignitaries from across China and around the world, including President Hu Jintao and Secretary Clinton. And today we mark our one millionth visitor, an exciting and momentous occasion for myself, the USA Pavilion staff and the United States of America. We will continue to work hard to ensure visitors feel welcomed and at home at the USA Pavilion.”
Basically, the Expo is like a giant Epcot Center — but for real. And one happy family, designated as the 1 millionth visitors were steeped in gifts from America including “teddy bears, traditional Texas cowboy hats and other USA Pavilion memorabilia” much of it made by the very Chinese visitors at the USA Pavilion.
Photos by MieGuoGuan on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
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According to press accounts and press releases (like the one that prompted this gush piece), 1 million visitors also showed up at the Indonesian, Dutch, Russian, Danish, Chinese, Taiwanese, French, Brazilian, Indian, Canadian, Mexican, Colombian, Coca-Cola, GM-SAIC, Singaporean, and about 50 other national and corporate pavilions.
What’s your point? That the letters “U.S.A.” still have attractive power? What a relief. But what do they see inside? Not so much, according to the NY TIMES and WASHINGTON POST.
Were we gushing? Really? We couldn’t agree more and find the 1 million people an un-extraordinary number in China. We just liked that someone got a “Texas cowboy hat,” which Chinese family may have made. We are pretty sure that if anyone visited the Taiwanese pavilion, it was Chinese soldiers.