“Once upon a time, in a town of fairyland, lived some people called Mites. They were called the Mites because they were very tiny. The biggest was no longer than a gherkin. Their town was marvelous. Around every house grew daisies, dandelions and honeysuckle. All streets were named after flowers: Blue-bell Street, Daisy Lane, Primrose Avenue, etc. That’s why the town was called a‘City of Flowers’.”

——The Adventures of DUNNO and His Friends (Nikolay Nosov)

Nikolay Nosov, a famous Soviet writer of children’s literature, once said that the best city in the world should be the favorite one among children. His flower city, a place in the Adventures of DUNNO and His Friends, has attracted a great number of people.

Following the conception of Nosov, the Russia Pavilion of Expo 2010 has been designed as an ideal city resembling cites in the fairyland, which will give people the impression of a children’s paradise, granting visitors the warmth, comfort and charms that come from memories of their childhood.

Twelve Mysterious Towers, where Amazing Journey Starts

For most fairy-tale fans, the Russia Pavilion will be an attractive kingdom that may only be found in fairy tales. The first step, of course, is to find the entrance to the fairyland. Actually, your amazing journey starts with the towers.

With their irregular shapes, these 20-meter towers are located among the natural landscapes of a green lawn and bodies of water. Taking a closer look, you will find that these towers, altogether 12, form a circle that takes after the formation of a famous Russian dance. Seen from above, its outside façade sometimes looks like small villages of the ancient Slavs or the prehistoric Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. Getting closer, the roofs of the towers are decorated with hollow pictures in colors widely used for traditional Russian garments, symbolizing the integration of various ethnic groups in the country. Above the central square of the towers will be a 15-meter-tall movable cube, dubbed the “Cube of Civilization”, which is expected be the most exciting part of the visit to the Russia Pavilion.

Taking cues from Nosov’s Adventures of DUNNO and His Friends, the cube, the main exhibition area of the Russia Pavilion consists of three parts: the City for Children, the City for Youth and the Big World, carrying themes of “the City of Flowers”, “the City of Sun” and “the City of Moon” respectively. Before staring their journey, visitors are advised to envision themselves as DUNNO and his friends when travelling this fairy-tale palace.

Arriving at the Entrance of the “Cube”

Tower No. 1 is the entrance to the main exhibition area. The twelve irregularly shaped towers, decorated in red, white and gold, are assigned different functions, taking the roles of cafeteria, exhibition hall with displays of different Russian cities, office area, VIP room, souvenir shops and others. Nearby the towers is an open-air café.

The interior design and the outside façades of the Russia Pavilion jointly create an open and transparent atmosphere. Surrounding the entire pavilion, the towers create a Central Square, where the “Cube of Civilization” is located. The circular steps in the first floor of the Exhibition Hall are linked together carrying a theme of “Urban Square”. Propping up the “Cube of Civilization”, it showcases the historical development of Russian urban architecture. With the roof standing 20 meters above the ground, the cube is also supported by three giant tube-shaped structures, with a spiral ramp zigzagging through the tubes to the top of the Exhibition Hall.

Of course, this is just the beginning of the journey. Next, one enters the “Cube of Civilization”, the core of the pavilion. It looks like a gradually unfolding treasure box when viewed from any angle, waiting for visitors to explore its abundant beauty.

“The City of Flowers”, “the City of Sun” & “the City of Moon”

The City of Flowers features fairy-tale style images of children, showing a flair for colors and fantasies, which are created through the efforts of dedicated stage designers for plastic arts, bringing the flower city to life in front of the visitors.

All of a sudden, we have moved to the City for Youth, which is located on the second floor and themed “the City of Sun”. The City of Sun is a miniature artificial space where the sun shines permanently, shedding light onto every window of the hall to create a translucent labyrinth with virtual displays. Here you can find displays of technological inventions by Russian youth, which show visitors their grand dreams. Yes, it is the inventions and technological innovations that help create the harmonious beauty in our life.

Climbing further up the spiral ramp, we finally enter the “Big World”, the peak of the exhibition hall. Situated on the third floor, it showcases the theme of “the City of Moon”. Here one can find many electronic touch screens. Apparently, DUNNO has transformed into a virtual guide, ushering us into future cities in outer space using different languages. The City of Moon shows the history of human exploration into the space by viewing mankind as part of the universe. Glories of Russia’s aerospace explorations are also displayed here.