Guangdong's connection with the World Expo can be dated back to the year 1851.

Xu Rongcun, a businessman from Xiangshan of Guangdong, was the first Chinese who attended the Expo. Mr. Xu participated in the first World Exposition held in London, Britain in 1851, carrying with him silk, tea and traditional Chinese medicines, and was awarded gold and silver prizes.

Moreover, the first Chinese who proposed to host the World Expo in Shanghai was Zheng Guanying, also from Xiangshan, Guangdong. He wrote the propose in a book "Alarm at the Heyday (Shengshi Weiyan)" in the year 1894, saying the Expo would greatly fuel the social and economic development of the host city and Shanghai, as the main port connecting China and the world, was the best place in China for hosting the event.

In the past century, the exquisite handcraft products from Guangdong had won several awards of the Expo, including the prestigious carved ivory ball of Guangdong which was awarded with the top prize of "Best handicraft of the world" in Expo San Francisco U.S.A. in 1915.

In Kunming Horti-Expo held in Yunnan China in 1999, the Yuehui Park displayed a perfect combination of Guangdong-style horticulture and architecture and won the the Expo's Comprehensive Awards.
Guangdong, in the past century, especially in the past 30 yers, has been acting as a bridge connecting China and the world in World Expo and in many other stages. And the province will continue its opening up to the outside world and expect to make more friends in Shanghai World Expo 2010.

Source: Newsgd.com