Xintiandi teams up this year with the Shanghai World Expo to
present its annual New Year's Eve countdown show and party, "City
Lights Life," on its manmade lake, writes Fei Lai.
Xintiandi, a dining, shopping and entertain-ment magnet, calls
itself "Shanghai's living room" where both expats and locals can
enjoy the city's flavor all year round.
And of course, on New Year's Eve.
The annual countdown party on December 31 will be held, as
usual, on the "shore" of artificial Taipingqiao Lake. It's becoming
a tradition. Pop singers including Taiwanese band S.H.E. will
perform.
Themed "City Lights Life," the show this year marks the first
time that Xintiandi cooperates with the Bureau of Shanghai World
Expo Coordination. The 2010 Expo theme is "Better City, Better
Life" and the Xintiandi show will incorporate "city" elements in
the stage design and program.
The green concept of "advocating civilization and taking away
garbage" will run throughout the event.
The trendy venue of rebuilt shikumen (stone-gated) houses
showcases the city's embrace of different cultures. Traditional and
modern, local and expat, Chinese and international - all merge in
the Xintiandi complex.
Xintiandi extends a creative and cozy living style. Its historic
feeling and fusion of the East and the West make it an open
trend-setting venue in an open city.
To underscore the distinctiveness of the metropolis, the
countdown party will have a distinctive design. Glamorous lights
will spotlight the main stage on the lake. More stages and
platforms will be added on the lake's surface to shorten the
distance between audience and performers to only three meters.
As usual, top performers will sing, dance and play their way
into the new year.
The warm-up program will be "Nanta," a music art from South
Korea that uses pots, pans and kitchen plates as instruments - a
kimchi kitchen comedy.
Then, three select World Expo theme songs will be played.
Taiwanese singer Emil Chau and girl band S.H.E will light the flame
for the new year.
The joyful atmosphere and memorable songs will greet the new
year and begin the 2008 countdown to the 2010 World Expo.
(Shanghai Daily December 24, 2007)