an artist's rendition of Taiwan Pavilion's design

an artist's rendition of Taiwan Pavilion's design

Taiwan will invite people to fly lanterns for good luck - a traditional island custom - and view its beautiful mountains and lakes at its pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The Taipei World Trade Center on July 21 signed a contract with the Shanghai World Expo organizer to be responsible for the Taiwan Pavilion.

The center also revealed its pavilion design, which will be a transparent cube housing a giant ball in its center.

Its exhibition theme is "Mountain, Water, Heart and Lantern."

The pavilion will showcase the island's natural scenery, its kind-hearted people and traditional culture, said C. Y. Lee, chief designer of the pavilion as well as Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers.

The pavilion will showcase Taipei, a city that makes people comfortable with a very natural lifestyle, Lee said, to echo the "Better City, Better Life" Shanghai Expo theme.

The pavilion will mainly be made of steel and glass, with the outlines of the island's Mount Morrison and Mount Ali painted on the facade.

The globe, 12 meters in diameter, houses a theater, where a four-minute movie about Taiwan's culture and scenery will be shown. The globe doubles as a screen to show the island's landscapes.

The globe will be suspended over a pool of water, which will reflect the images shown on the globe.

Visitors will be invited to take part in a multimedia lantern-flying ceremony on a platform above the pool.

If 40 people make a ring on the platform, each of them will trigger a beam that will light the globe, according to a virtual movie about the pavilion.

The five-minute show will be performed throughout the Expo.

Construction of the pavilion will start next month.

Taipei will also have two exhibits - a wireless city and a recycling program - in the Urban Best Practices Area.

(Source: official website of World Expo Shanghai)