This is Shanghai

MILAN, Italy, March 24-- Traditional Chinese dress Qipao and photographs of Shanghai were on display in Italy's fashion capital Milan on Monday to highlight the importance of relations between the two cities and endorse the passing on of the Expo torch.

The project of the "Charming Shanghai" exhibition, open to the public on March 22-30 in the heart of the Italian northern city, featured two sections: an exhibition entitled "Qipao", focusing on the traditional Chinese dress, and a photography exhibition entitled "Expo from Shanghai to Milan."

"Today we are inaugurating two beautiful exhibitions, which are an important sign of friendship between Milan and Shanghai," Milan Mayor Giuliano Pisapia said during the opening ceremony, in the presence of Secretary General of the International Exhibitions Bureau Gonzalez Loscertales.

The project, organizers explained, was an interesting occasion for Italian and international visitors of the exhibitions to get closer to China's culture and traditions as well as to its ongoing transformations.

The Qipao section illustrated the evolution of the traditional Chinese dress over the centuries through images and actual qipao, both antique and modern, reflecting changes in the role of women in the Chinese society.

The other section featured 160 images showing the development of Shanghai's urban spaces and citizens after hosting an event of global resonance like the world exposition in 2010.

In fact, Pisapia stressed, not only the "Charming Shanghai" project was organized in Milan on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Milan and Shanghai's twin-ship, but it also was an important stage in the passing on of the torch between the two cities in view of the Milan Expo 2015, after his official visit to China at the end of November.

The Shanghai Expo, whose theme "Better City, Better Life" was aimed to make people think how to improve city life for everyone, will pass the baton to the Milan Expo titled "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" which has the goal to arouse awareness regarding global hunger and the impact of waste.

"The two world expositions embody different aspects of the same challenges that all countries are facing as they tackle the effects of industrialization, climate change, population growth and security, reflecting the progress on education and innovation made by local communities," Loscertales noted.

With 246 participating countries and regions and organizations and 72 million visitors, the successful Shanghai Expo 2010 has set an example which can be shared with the organizers of the Milan Expo 2015, scheduled for May 1 through Oct. 31 next year, Executive Committee Chairman of China Corporate United Pavilion Chen Anjie highlighted.

Commissioner of the Italian government for the world exposition Giuseppe Sala said at the opening ceremony"We have often had contacts with Shanghai in order to learn and to well understand what organizing a world exposition means, and the results of this dialogue were excellent."

Sala underlined that China, with its three pavilions of which one national and two corporate, will be "the most represented country after Italy" at the Milan Expo 2015.

"China will be an extremely significant country for our exposition, and this happened also thanks to the great legacy that Shanghai has left to us," he said.