It’s EXPO Time…1937

And so finally the long awaited (dreaded!) Shanghai EXPO is upon us and officially opens this Saturday- how to mark it’s arrival? Well, back in 1937 Shanghai people were all agog at the prospect of an EXPO too – the Paris Exposition of 1937. Adverts ran all year in the Shanghai newspapers, Chinese and English (and French obviously) courtesy of the French Cultural Attache in Shanghai. As in 2010 ticketing was a key issue and transport laid on courtesy of the Messagerie Maritime ocean liners (which beats a crowded ride on the Shanghai subway). Note that the French, rather wisely I think, dispensed with the later tradition of an EXPO mascot as dumb as Haibao and just used the Eiffel Tower – well done them.