Pavilion packs in crowds again

SHANGHAI - The crowds came surging back to the China Pavilion during the Spring Festival holidays as people made the most of the opportunity to check out the landmark that was such a draw during Expo 2010.

Nearly 300,000 tourists lined up for an average of four hours to visit the pavilion during the seven-day holiday. On the busiest day, some 48,000 visitors filed through the building.

"I didn't know that I would have to wait for so many hours to tour the China Pavilion but I waited in line for two hours to buy a ticket and another two hours to get inside," said 50-year-old Chen Guomei, who was visiting from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.