Three act wonder

My wife Ellen and I had just joined the end of what seemed to be an incredibly long line leading to the Australian Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo suddenly when a voice behind me asked: "Are there any Aussies here?" I turned around and said: "Well, I'm Australian!"

"Good," said a lovely young lady with a two-way radio. "I'm Lauretta, come with me, and I'll take you straight into the Pavilion."

We couldn't believe our luck - we'd already decided not to try and queue up for the US or UK pavilions as their lines snaked on for hours. It had been a snap decision to join the Australian line, as Ellen wanted to know more about the country I came from.

It turned out that Lauretta Webster, venue manager of the Australian Pavilion's indoor and outdoor bars and catering areas, had been trawling regularly along the line, looking for tired Aussies to rescue. Like all the staff at the Pavilion, she is fluent in Mandarin.

From the outside, the Australian Pavilion reflects our ancient landscape, along with modern urban design. It's clad in big steel sheets that will weather over the course of the Expo, changing color as Shanghai becomes more humid. It really does look like Uluru (Ayer's Rock), as it towers over the passers-by.

Inside, the Pavilion tour is divided into three parts, or Acts like a play. Act 1: Journey, it draws visitors into the history and identity of Australia, and starts with a stunning collection of native Aboriginal art, before moving on to a great set of sculptures that show Australian history since European settlement. It also shows how immigration has imparted richness and diversity to modern Australian society - all done in a very funny way, including koalas in hard hats, and a classroom of children on the ceiling.

Next, we came to a giant theater in the round, which held almost 1,000 people at a time. This is Act 2: Discover, which explores the meaning of the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life" through the eyes of three children.

We watched, amazed as huge screens raised and lowered themselves from the stage, and revolved to show beautiful images of Australia's major cities, as well as some not-so-urban environs. Although the show was in Mandarin, I didn't feel left out, as the nine-minute show was so alive.

As the lights came up, we left the theater, and moved on to Act 3 of the Pavilion: Enjoy, where we walked into the big, open area at the front of the Pavilion. From the ceiling way above hung huge sculptures based on Australian Wattle seed-pods, from which spilled the floral emblems of each of Australia's states.

A giant screen came to life, images of the Great Barrier Reef flashing across it. Two dancers in harnesses "swam" across the length of the room, above the heads of the crowd, floating and turning as if really underwater.

While Ellen went off to browse the gift shop, which boasts a great range of Australian made products, Lauretta Webster again swooped down on me. It seems that someone had recognized me from the cartoons accompanying my Hotpot columns on Tuesday, and wanted to meet me.

I was led away to the VIP area, where I was introduced to Lyndall Sachs, Commissioner General For Australia at the Shanghai Expo, who wanted to make sure I took away a very important message for China Daily's readers:

"The Shanghai Expo only happens once, so come and have a taste of life Down Under at the Australian Pavilion!"

China Daily

(China Daily 05/15/2010 page11)