The significance of the Shanghai World Expo
For the World Expo (World Exposition), a "world's top" "urban event", which has entered a Chinese city on a large scale for the first time, just from " In the subject search of "Liberation Daily", there were 1,622 reports from June 2000 to May 2007. We can feel that the Shanghai World Expo has had a strong impact on China and Shanghai.
Expo is the top form of urban activities. In the general academic field, World Expo is defined as an "urban event", but it is different from purely political activities (such as APEC), Economic activities (such as the Canton Fair, commodity expos), various large-scale cultural activities (such as tourism festivals, TV festivals, food festivals, etc.), comprehensive sports events (such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games), compared with the latter types of urban events Generally speaking, the World Expo not only combines political, economic, and cultural characteristics, but also lasts the longest, gathers the largest flow of people, and has large investment. It is also the highest achievement of human society in the fields of economy, society, culture, science and technology, etc. The exhibition is a veritable “event” for the host city. Since the first World Expo held in London, England in 1851, every World Expo, regardless of form or scale, has had a huge impact on the urban construction and urban image of the host city, and has become an important platform for shaping and conveying the city's image. .
Cities are the center of human civilization and the most important factor in globalized economic, political and cultural activities. Facing the increasingly fierce global competition, every city is standing at the height of historical development. , adjust its positioning, implement appropriate strategies, shape its own image, fully mobilize the city's existing positive forces on the basis of analysis and comparison, develop regional competitive advantages, and enhance the city's competitiveness, cohesion, radiation and attraction . Under the increasingly severe wave of globalized economy, urban imaging has become a living business card of the city, directly stimulating the brains of residents, immigrants and enterprises living in the city.
As the largest city in China, Shanghai’s image in the world affects the evaluation of China by various countries, and affects the international competitiveness and economic status of China’s open cities represented by Shanghai in the future. In more than ten years, there have been few major global events in Shanghai and even China. Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will present a new, even "unbelievable" city image of Shanghai to the world. Not only will it It has strong economic significance and even more profound political significance.
Globalization allows cities to go out "decently". The competition in today's world is the competition of comprehensive national strength based on economy. Since various political, economic and cultural activities in the country are in cities In this sense, cities are called the constituent cells of a country. In this sense, the competition between countries is reflected in the competition between cities. The social development trend of globalization allows every country to take the initiative to go out and go to the world, break away from small spaces, and achieve international integration. As the core node of all human activities, cities reflect the progress of human development and the progress of human beings. Cultural civilization and the living conditions of human beings are a country’s cultural business card to the world.
The 2010 Shanghai World Expo will be a powerful "megaphone" for Shanghai to convey the city's image. Judging from every World Expo held in history, the World Expo will become a catalyst for the rapid development of the city. The hosting of the Shanghai World Expo will It will attract 70 million tourists and generate nearly 3,000 hours of media reports. These large groups of tourists and reports will greatly promote the city image of Shanghai during the Expo and form a core issue around the world through the media. , changing, influencing, improving, strengthening and amplifying people's impression of Shanghai.
The Shanghai World Expo has promoted Shanghai's cultural identity in the world. The essence of the World Expo is a tourism event and an inevitable result of the development of ancient bazaars. However, its fundamental purpose and significance have been transformed from the exchange of products. The shaping and promotion of national politics, economy, culture and other aspects are fundamentally about realizing the recognition of the culture of the nation and region on a larger scale through cultural exchange and transmission. Shanghai successfully applied for the 2010 World Expo and chose the city as its exhibition theme. The areas on both sides of the Huangpu River where the World Expo was located condensed the modern urban development trajectory of Shanghai: the old city before the 19th century, the 20th century The Bund formed in the early 20th century, the Lujiazui CBD formed in the late 20th century, and the North Bund International Shipping Center under construction are the main platforms to fully display all the civilizational achievements of Shanghai since modern times. In the face of fierce competition from globalization, after about the 1990s, urban development and renewal have included soft factors other than the construction of urban hardware facilities. This is a high-level initiative to make urban development more suitable for human habitation. Requirements - to shape and promote the city's image to enhance the city's competitiveness and seek higher competitiveness.
The hosting of the Shanghai World Expo is in line with the current hot spots and priorities of Shanghai's urban development. It not only involves the accumulation of Shanghai's history and the comprehensive development of historical and cultural heritage, but also involves the development of Shanghai as an international metropolis. The image in the world, especially in Western countries, is a full expression and expansion of Shanghai’s soft power in its comprehensive strength.