Macau will set aside a special section in its Urban Best Practices Area showcase to feature the famous martial arts novelist Louis Cha's works, Macau's Expo preparatory team announced on June 9.

The team has been authorized to put Cha's novels on display and showcase characters created by Cha. There will be a poll of visitors to choose their favorite 10 heroes and heroines. The top ten characters will make a multimedia appearance at the pavilion.

Cha agreed to provide every assistance during a recent visit by Ieong Pou Yee, director of Macau's Expo team. Cha praised the special administrative region's practice in promoting cultural development.

Louis Cha, known by his pen name Jin Yong, is famous for his popular martial arts genre works. His 14 novels and short fiction earned him the reputation as one of the finest martial arts writers. His works have been translated into English, Japanese, French, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Thai and adapted into films and TV series. The Zhejiang-born writer now lives in Hong Kong.

Macau will create a replica 92-year-old pawnshop in its UBPA exhibit to show how it operated nearly a century ago.

The Tak Seng On Pawnshop, with a floor area of 1,950 square meters, was built in 1917 by Ko Ho Ning, a Macau businessman. It was Macau's largest pawnshop in the first half of the 20th century.

Macau will show how the pawnshop was protected and later restored to become one of the most popular museums in the special administrative region, Ieong said.

(Source: Official Website of World Expo Shanghai 2010)