China Day 4: Hello Haibou

Our penultimate day was in Shanghai proper. And this was where we met Haibou, whom you see on the right. Haibou is the mascot for the Shanghai World Expo 2010. Haibou is everywhere in Shanghai (and probably world-wide soon), and his (her?) name apparently means “Pearl in the Sea”. (Hai meaning sea - as in Shanghai - and bou meaning pearl, I think, but Chinese readers may correct me - please!) The World Expo (a large international trade exhibition), which runs from 31 May to 31 October next year, will have an expected 70 million visitors. The site for the exhibition occupies a vast area of land on both sides of the river in Shanghai and is still under construction.

Our last stop this day was the Shanghai World Circus (seen right), where the current show, ERA, bills itself as a “multimillion dollar stunning production”. And having seen it I can confirm that it is a pretty stunning multimillion dollar production. A mixture of acrobatics and multimedia effects, ERA is a love story through past, present and future (”intersection of time” says the publicity), complete with live orchestra and sound effects. For me the most spectacular part was the motorcycle show at the end, where up to eight (yes, that’s right, EIGHT - yes, 8, as in 888 - the number eight being a Chinese lucky number) motorbikes raced frenziedly around inside a spherical wire cage (with a diameter that I calculated at about 4 motorbikes, maybe 5). As you can see in their group shot below, the riders were dressed in mediaeval warrior outfits, a clever blending of ancient and modern typical of much of China.

Wordchecker
penultimate (adjective): one before the last; last but one
mascot (noun): a person or thing (often an animal) that is a symbol for an event or organization and is supposed to bring good luck
intersection (noun): the point at which two or more things meet
frenzy (noun): a state of wild excitement or uncontrolled behaviour (frienziedly = adverb)
diameter (noun): straight line from one side to the opposite side of a sphere or globe, passing through the centre
mediaeval (adjective): relating to the Middle Ages - approx 5th-15th centuries (American spelling: medieval)
warrior (noun): a fighter or soldier, especially if brave or experienced