Since business opportunities in the run-up stage to the Expo have been more than impressive, the six months that it will last are expected to be more lucrative. And the central and local governments and enterprises are well prepared to seize that chance.

Yu Zhensheng, secretary of Shanghai Committee of the Communist Party of China, says Shanghai will capitalize on the opportunity to woo investors and transform its development model.

The Expo offers a priceless chance to China to learn from other countries, adopt new technologies in order to change its economic structure and explore new ways of development.

"Among the huge number of visitors the Expo has attracted are bankers, dealers and investors in Shanghai. They will inject sufficient power into the development of Shanghai and the YRD region in the next five to 10 years and facilitate the integration between the Chinese and the world economies," says Lian Ping, chief economist with the Bank of Communications.

The theme of the Shanghai Expo is "Better City, Better Life". A forum on the theme will be held every month to discuss how to improve urban development and raise the living standards of residents. The theme fits the reality of China, which is undergoing urbanization at a fast pace. Consequently, the Expo will give China a precious chance to adopt a lot of good practices from other countries.

The aim of the Expo is more than just economic development. It is platform for Chinese and foreign cultures to communicate. It is a magnificent platform to exhibit the latest technological and cultural achievements of the entire human race.

Wu Jianmin, honorary president of the Bureau International des Expositions, says the biggest gap between developed and underdeveloped regions is not the stage of development, but ideas. The biggest backwardness is that of ideas. And the Expo can help China enrich them.

The greatest gift of the Expo to China will neither be the massive investment and consumption in the event, nor the spill-over effect of the exhibition economy in the medium and long run, but the creation of an ideal stage to display its achievements and disseminate its values.