Thousands have flocked to the Swiss Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo to see how Switzerland presents itself in what has been described as a “playful manner”.
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2 minutes
Switzerland has an open and inter-active pavilion in China covering 4,000 square metres, with as a chosen theme rural-urban interaction.
The building is an open hybrid structure showing both technology and nature. The project leaders say that it features both the town and the country, keeping them both in balance.
It is covered by a semi-transparent curtain of woven metal netting made up of 10,000 cells that generate electricity using state-of-the-art solar technology and illustrating the creative force of the sun’s rays.
Inside the exhibition visitors meet 12 Swiss men and women who stand in front of a huge IMAX-projection with a Swiss mountainscape and tell the audience about life in Switzerland.
Fifty telescopes give a three-dimensional view of specific Swiss projects in the fields of air and water quality, sustainable building and mobility. At the end a chair lift takes visitors to the roof of the pavilion which is brimming with greenery and symbolises the interaction between town and country.
A foreign ministry statement said the presentation at the Shanghai World Expo was an invaluable platform for Swiss communication abroad. It strengthened Switzerland’s image in China in the long term and helped both to cultivate existing relationships and establish new ones.
It added that a number of Swiss companies would use the platform to present themselves as sponsors to the Chinese market with its huge potential.
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You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.