China wowed the world with the widely-acclaimed 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and now it hopes to again project the image of a forward looking, innovative "rising China"  at the "EXPO 2010 Shanghai China" which takes place May 1-October 31, 2010.

Expo 2010 will be the largest World's Fair in history, encompassing over 1200 acres and with over 70 million projected visitors.  Its theme,"Better City, Better Life" is intended to give Shanghai a chance to highlight its own development as a major global economic and cultural center.

China's not alone in its plans to capture and bask in the limelight of the expo and of Shanghai's futurescape skyline.

The Oriental Crown China Pavillion

Malaysia, Japan, Korea, India, and many of China's Asian neighbors - and competitors for investment - are all preparing major showings at the event. So is Europe, where countries like Romania are also making preparations for Shanghai.
 

According to ChinaDaily.com, quoting Wan Jifei, vice-chairman of the Expo organizing committee, the opening ceremony will feature a setting of the Huangpu River, the main river in Shanghai, and a display of fireworks in combination of special light and sound effects. About 100 state leaders will attend the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo scheduled on May 1.