China to Host 2010 World’s Fair

China won the right Tuesday to host the World Exposition in 2010, the first time a developing country will do so since the fair began 151 years ago in London.

The victory is a feather in the cap of the world’s most populous country, which recently realized its dream of being chosen to host the 2008 Olympics. The selection also confirms the growing influence of the bidding city, Shanghai, China’s thriving economic powerhouse.

“It’s been our wish for many years to bring home the World Expo. We promise to honor our pledge to put on the most exciting, most unforgettable and most successful expo ever,” Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu said Tuesday from Monte Carlo, where the International Bureau of Expositions made the selection.

In Shanghai, crowds gathered on Nanjing Road under a neon-lighted banner proclaiming, “We did it!” Fireworks illuminated the night sky. Celebrities sang folk songs and Italian opera. Young people waved red flags, and senior citizens banged on waist drums.

“This is a happy day for all of China,” said Feng Ai, a student from the city’s Fudan University.

The exhibition selection was one of the most contested in recent history. The other contenders were South Korea, Russia, Mexico and Poland.

Shanghai has become a symbol of China’s transformation from a backward command economy to one of the fastest-growing in the world. Under the theme, “Better City, Better Life,” the city has the central government’s support to invest $3 billion in infrastructure projects. It expects to attract more than 70 million visitors, which would make the fair the biggest and possibly the most lucrative in history.

“It will create a lot of business investment opportunities and make Shanghai more environmentally friendly and a better city to live in,” said William Keller, general manager in China for the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, which has a plant in Shanghai.

City officials are confident of their ability to manage the high-profile international event based on a recent track record that has included successfully hosting last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and last month’s Masters Cup tennis tournament.

Expos are opportunities for the world to showcase the latest technological advances. Some of the most notable inventions of modern life -- including the telephone, the television, asbestos and the steam engine -- made their debuts at past world fairs.

For the 2010 fair, Shanghai plans to clean up an industrial stretch along the Huangpu River and transform it into a sprawling green space of exhibition halls.

But in many ways, image-conscious Shanghai is already making efforts to turn this former colonial outpost into a trend-setter. In the works are the planet’s fastest train, longest arched bridge, biggest Ferris wheel and tallest building.

To show solidarity and encourage the participation of fellow developing countries, which traditionally have been neglected by the expos, China has offered them free transportation and accommodations.

“Among 6 billion inhabitants on the planet, 5 billion live in the developing world,” said Wu Jianmin, China’s ambassador to France, where the International Bureau of Expositions is based. “However, during its 151 years of existence, the World Expo has never been held in a developing country.”

Developing countries, Wu added, “will not be marginalized during the Shanghai Expo 2010.”

The Chinese are well aware that their country has a long way to go to make the 2010 fair a success. China faces mounting social problems, including unemployment and a widening gap between rich and poor. It remains to be seen whether holding such an expensive global gathering is the best use of the country’s limited resources.

“The world has given us an opportunity, but it doesn’t mean we’re now perfect,” said Li Yixing, a public relations consultant in Shanghai. “We shouldn’t have any false illusions.”