Pavilions of the marshes, now in sand too!

With the expo drawing closer and closer, we were excited to hear that the Hong Kong Pavilion was officially completed on Monday. Adopting the theme of "The Infinite City," the pavilion has three exhibition levels, each "highlighting a different aspect of Hong Kong's connectivity and creativity," says China View. The top level will "showcase Hong Kong's natural heritage and the way in which the compact urban cityscape co-exists sustainably with extensive swathes of greenbelt, wetland and woodland areas," and therefore the entirety of the third floor has been plowed into an indoor wetland park. Hong Kong will also model its multifunctional smart card as an Urban Best Practice Area for the Expo.

With Shanghai preparing for every excruciating detail of the World Expo (we will agree that the sunlight-perfect, seven coats of red paint was entirely necessary), it's easy to forget about the rest of China's excitement as well. In other Expo pavilion news, the annual Sand Sculpture Festival is underway in Zhujiajian, an island in the Zhejiang Province. Until it closes on November 30, "locals and visitors alike will be able to marvel at sand replicas of many of the Expo pavilions and exhibits that are on display at the Shanghai Expo Exhibition Hall on Huaihai Road," says Shanghai Daily.

The Expo Venues section is part of the broader exhibition entitled "Future Ocean City," but the China Pavilion and its related family structures are rather impressive by themselves. Besides a crowd-pleasing two meter tall sand-Haibo (causing many Asian squats and fob signs), there are iconic structures from previous Expos, including the Crystal Palace from London 1851 and the Eiffel Tower from Paris 1889. Many inventions that made their debuts on World Expos, including steam engines, revolver hand gun, and cameras, are also displayed in the exhibition.

Aside the periodic updates of how USA's Expo group is somehow mustering incredible amounts of funding and eagerly awaiting the petroleum-crafted and pungent Oil Cube, the Shanghaiist would like to mention some other Expo pavilion news highlights. Hotspots include Finland's saunas, a serious "putting the S in Expo" compilation of the top five sexiest pavilions, the Shanghai Corporate Pavilion being totally constructed out of recycled CD cases, and Belgium's brain-cell centerpiece design and diamond give-away.

To check out more detailed pavilions plans for international participants, domestic and corporate pavilions, and the exhibitions for best urban practices, check this out.