Expo countdown

Shanghai has only 200 days by yesterday to keep its solemn promise of "Better City, Better Life" when the World Expo is unveiled along the city's Huangpu River bank next May. It is a festival that Shanghai and the whole nation have been looking forward to since the city was selected to host the event on Dec 3, 2002.

After more than six years of preparation, Shanghai has achieved a great leap forward in almost every aspect. The city's subway system has been extending to every part of the city, with the total length to exceed 400 km next May and 500 km two years later. Meanwhile, clean and fuel-efficient buses have hit the road, replacing old ones that spewed black smoke on the city's streets.

All these have not only alleviated the traffic jams Shanghai has been suffering for the past decades, but also helped improve the air and living environment for its 19 million residents.