Set your watches folks, there’s just 600 days till the 2010 World Expo kicks off in Shanghai on May 1st 2010. The website for the Shanghai Expo has quite a comical introduction that borders on propaganda:
“With a long civilisation, China favours international exchange and loves world peace. China owes its successful bid for the World Exposition in 2010 to the international community’s support for and confidence in its reform and opening-up. The Exposition will be the first registered World Exposition in a developing country, which gives expression to the expectations the world’s people place on China’s future development.”
Hmmmm …. well, okay. Anyway, the event is never far from my mind. No, not because I am looking forward to seeing various nations “displaying historical experience, exchanging innovative ideas, demonstrating esprit de corps and looking to the future” but because the site of the Expo is basically about 50 metres from my apartment. As a result, I’ve enjoyed many sleepless nights listening to all the construction / demolition work that seems to go on throughout the night while huge trucks come and go carry large loads of dirt, most of which seems to spill on to the road which is fabulous when the weather is wet and crossing the road is like walking through a muddy paddy field.
Still, I did manage to scare my landlord into believing nobody would ever rent my apartment now, so I am enjoying my fourth year without a rent increase which I understand is unheard of in Shanghai.
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