The 2010 annual conference of the |
Social/Cultural Program
There are quite a few interesting tours people could plan themselves to enjoy. All participants will be invited to join the E-Huangpu River Cruise and F-Expo 2010 which are organized by the conference organizer. For the companioning persons, we will organize two extra package tours to Shanghai (A, B & C) and Suzhou (D). These city tours have been carefully planned and are led by experienced tour guides who will share their knowledge with you and provide unusual and thought-provoking perspectives on the cities' past, present, and futures. The following are the brief introduction to these scenic spots.
Shanghai City Tour A-Yu Garden
Yu Garden is a classical landscape in the Southern Chinese style with a history of more than 400 years. Pavilions, halls, rockeries and ponds display the finest in landscaping from the Southern style as seen in the Ming and Qing dynasties. More than 40 scenery spots are ingeniously separated by latticed walls, winding corridors, and lattice windows.
As Yu Garden integrates the long history of China with the unique national style, there’re millions of people come all the way from other regions and countries every year.
Shanghai City Tour B-People's Square
People's Square has become the political and cultural center in Shanghai since its rebuilding in 1994. Around the square there are a massive fountain named the Light of Huangpu River, six groups of relief carvings that depict the history of Shanghai, the New Shanghai Museum, the offices of the municipal government, an underground shopping plaza, the Shanghai Grand Theater and the Shanghai Exhibition Center, etc.
In southwest part of the square there is a beautiful blue and white home for pigeons! Thousands of pigeons fly from their house to the 10,000 square meters of lawns to meet tourists each day. Their coming promotes a feeling of peace and serenity to all that visit the area.
Shanghai City Tour C-The Bund
The well-known Bund is a must for visitors to Shanghai. Fifty-two buildings lining the narrow shoreline of the Huangpu River offer a living exhibition of Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Classic Revival and Renaissance architectural styles, as well as combinations of Chinese and Western styles. They are also a condensation of the recent history of the city.
In the evening, colorful lights illuminate the area and create a shimmering image deserving of the name Pearl of the Orient. It is the Bund where modern Shanghai went to prosperity and the world.
Excursion D-Suzhou
Suzhou is known as the Venice of the Orient and is renowned for its beautiful stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed classical gardens. In fact, 42% of the city is covered by water, which includes a vast number of ponds and streams in addition to the city's numerous canals.
Suzhou has also been an important center for China's silk. Su embroidery is well known for its smoothness and delicateness, won Suzhou the title City of Embroidery in the Qing Dynasty, continuing to hold the prominent position today.
Common themes depicted in the embroidery include characters, scenery, flowers, and birds. Inheriting the workmanship and elegant designs of traditional embroidery, craftsmen in Suzhou further developed the art when they invented a technique for double-sided embroidery following the foundation of the People's Republic of China. Marked by exquisite handcrafting and elegant colors, the products you can buy there include beautiful handkerchiefs, scarves, and screens.
E-Huangpu River Cruise
Cruising on the Huangpu River, visitors can gaze at the mighty skyscrapers, the Monument Tower to the People's Heroes, the famous Waibaidu Bridge and Huangpu Park on one bank, and the Orient Pearl TV Tower, International Convertion Center, Jin Mao Building and the newly rising Pudong New Area on the other.
By feasting the eyes on the beautiful scene, visitors will be amazed at the modernization and prosperity that Shanghai displays.
F-Expo 2010
World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is the occasion for China to bring the world at home, and for the world to feel at home in China. By dedicating a 5.28 km2 area at the core of the city to exhibitions, events and forums on the Expo theme, “Better City, Better Life,” Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living.
Since the first World Exposition in 1851, these events have held weight as an opportunity for cultures to exchange and display economic, scientific, technological and cultural innovations. China owes its successful bid for the World Exposition in 2010 to its new-found confidence on the world stage, and its ambition to host an international gathering of an unprecedented scale.
Around 200 nations and international organizations will take part in the exhibition, and more that 70 million visitors from China and abroad are expected to make this EXPO the largest in history.