At next year’s Shanghai World Expo, a gigantic "moon boat" will sparkle along the eastern bank of the Huangpu River. Its visitors will be enchanted by exotic Arabian gardens, interactive cultural programs and short fi lms presented on the world’s largest 3D IMAX screen.

Saudi Arabia’s national pavilion, built on a plot of 7,600 sqm and considered second largest after the China Pavilion in terms of area and height, will stand as a unique architectural icon among a cluster of foreign structures.

With plans to be fi nished by mid-February next year, the pavilion’s structure, which is in the shape of a colossal bowl, will be the stage for cultural programs designed for different age groups with the purpose of bridging relations between the kingdom and rest of the world.

“The Shanghai World Expo will serve as a platform for the kingdom to have a multi-faceted exchange with all participants in general and China in particular,” said Dr Mohammed Alisssan Al-Ghamdi, executive director of Saudi commission to the Shanghai Expo.

The country will promote various investment opportunities in both Saudi Arabia and China for the benefi t of the private sector, he said. “There will be a mutual exchange of experience and know-how of the most effective urban practices.”

Saudi Arabia, to explore the theme of “Vitality of Life,” has signed contracts exceeding $50 million as an investment for its participation in next year’s party, which has participating commitments from more than 240 countries and regions and international organizations.

Its design idea is to have the pavilion elevated above the ground and fl oating between two gardens, thus providing shade and protection from weather conditions and allowing waiting visitors to enjoy the scenery of the ground-level “Friendship Garden.” Elements of both Saudi and Chinese landscapes elements are integrated into this garden, which symbolize Saudi-Chinese bilateral ties.

The second outdoor area features a 2,000 sq m cultural plaza where all traditional cultural activities will take place. A total of 50 dancers from all over Saudi Arabia will participate in dances and other activities within the plaza on a daily basis. The third outdoor feature is the Saudi Oasis on the rooftop of the pavilion. Once on the roof garden, visitors will receive a warm welcome in both modern as well as traditional Bedouin tents set among date palm trees.

The main entrance and exit of the pavilion form part of the pavilion hall, which features an enormous atrium with walls and fountains with rich Arabic geometrical latticework. Within the pavilion hall a 500 m long ramp leads to various levels of the exhibition. The lower part of the ramp will exhibit the historical Silk Road route, while the upper part will show traditional crafts and special collections from Saudi Arabia. The main exhibition of the pavilion will be comprised three parts: the fi rst part, called “a handful of sand” will serve asan introduction to Saudi Arabian history, geography, social life and cities; the second part is the IMAX theatre with a 1,600 sqm screen — the largest on earth; the third part is the transitional area in between the first and the second part to prepare visitors for shows to come.

A moving belt connects the three parts together, allowing visitors to comfortably wander throughout the exhibition. Prior to leaving the pavilion, visitors will have the opportunity to receive a special treat from the free gift corner. The structure is the result of teamwork by designers and architects from China and Saudi Arabia. Following the country’s acceptance of China’sinvitation to participate in the expo, an international architectural competition was organized for the design of the Saudi Arabia pavilion among architectural firms from USA, Europe, Japan, South Korea and China.

The Chinese designers emerged as strong competitors and won the competition. At the development stage of the winning design, Saudi and Chinese architects worked together until the fi nal design

was decided. “I am delighted with the overall standard of the Chinese team work of designers. The ideas employed in the Saudi pavilion design were creative, brilliant and dynamic,” Al- Ghamdi said.

Now the structure is about 40 percent complete and is planned to be fi nished by mid-February just before the lunar Chinese New Year. “The Saudi government has taken the initiative to fi nance the Saudi Arabian participation in the Shanghai Expo,” Al-Ghamdi said. “Currently, we are inviting the private sector to participate in sponsorship. An ambitious sponsorship program to attract more partners is already being implemented.”

The royal family of the country has attached great attention to the party. The Commissioner General of Saudi Arabia for the Shanghai World Expo 2010, Prince Mansour bin Muteb bin Abdul-Aziz, is also member of the Saudi royal family. “That alone refl ects the royal family appreciation and interest in Shanghai Expo,” Al-Ghamdi added.

Date palm trees Saudi Arabia, the homeland of the date palm tree, will reproduce the scene of an oasis in the desert by replanting more than 150 palm trees from southern China on both the rooftop garden and the friendship garden at the ground level. With some more than 10,000 years old, date palms are some of the oldest trees in the world. Many nations have transferred the palm trees from Saudi Arabia to other places in the world for its exotic appearance and usefulness in providing shade. The roof palm garden on the pavilion is a refl ection of Saudi identity and also aims to promote environmental dialogue and reiterate the expo’s theme of “Better City, Better Life”.

The country, however, has faced many difficulties in achieving this image, as palm trees require many years to mature — a situation contradictory with the temporary nature of the expo. The humid and rainy climate of Shanghai poses yet another obstacle for palm trees, which will require the adoption of sophisticated agricultural techniques. It took the country’s expo team one year working extensively with research institutes in Saudi Arabia and China to decide upon the best and the most effective way to replant full grown palm trees in the humid climate of Shanghai and overcome all the diffi culties.

In the end, 150 similar trees were discovered in southern China and will be replanted for the 2010 event

Editou:Wang Zhenghua