An informative pavilion about rice in Milan

The shape of the Chinese Pavilion at the 2015 Milan expo is unique to say the least, its appearance is not dissimilar to that of a thatched cottage used by Chinese farmers for a noon respite after hours of laboring in rice paddies.

On a recent sunny day in July, the building and its uniqueness helped attract a drove of tourists, who, after wandering around in the 36 C heat in Milan, looked like they needed some shade to cool themselves off.

The core of the Chinese Pavilion is agricultural civilization. It is about how China supported its massive population with cultivated grains, which aligns with the theme of the 2015 Milan expo, which is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".

Upon entering the pavilion, there are displays about the history of rice. Rice, the staple food eaten by over half the world's population, dates back 12,000 years ago in China. In 1995, a joint archaeological team from China and the United States found fossilized rice in Wan'nian county, Jiangxi province, that was later confirmed as the oldest remains of rice on the planet.

During a recent promotional event at the pavilion called Jiangxi Day, Hu Youtao, vice-governor of Jiangxi province, proudly introduced an exhibition on Jiangxi-produced rice to visitors.

At the beginning of the exhibition corridor, there are models of some traditional foods that people in China produce from grains, such as steamed bread. There are also models displaying how traditional Chinese families dine together and how they conduct themselves at the dinner table.

At the second half of the corridor, there are models and displays about modern technologies in planting rice, wheat and other grains.

A video of Yuan Longping, the domestic rice expert famous for his discovery of hybrid rice, is displayed on a wall, with introductions to his achievements as well as other modern agricultural technologies that make it possible to feed the 1.35 billion people in China.

Following the corridor is a long flight of stairs that leads to the second floor, where a pool of over 10,000 brown poles topped with soft white lights, symbolizing a field of grains, awaits. The lights change color as visitors walk by, as if waving in the cool summer wind.

Caterina Dardengo, an Italian visiting the pavilion wearing a bamboo hat, was so captured by the second-floor display that she stayed there taking selfies.

On the second floor, there is a small cinema with five rows of seats and a 15-meter-long screen. Every half an hour, the screen will display a video of the planting of grains in various provinces. On occasion, actors of the Ha'ni ethnic group will dance a traditional harvest dance.

There is also a souvenir shop at the pavilion's exit door, as well as a restaurant where people can enjoy traditional Chinese foods.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/24/2015 page16)