Italy today unveiled the design for its national pavilion in World Expo Shanghai 2010 as the country signed a participation contract with the organizers.

The pavilion, called The City of Man, is composed of 20 functional modules that can be assembled freely, Giampaolo Imbrighi, its designer, said at a press conference today.

The design was inspired by a traditional Shanghai game, Imbrighi said. In the game, children drop a batch of 20 to 30 sticks on a table and try to move one stick at a time without moving the others until all the sticks are cleared.

Imbrighi said the shape of the pavilion is as changeable as the game, which is called "Shanghai" in Italy.

the game "Shanghai"