Background

Mayor Yang Xiong signing and exchanging MOU with Secretary-General Loscertales

　　On November 23, 2010, Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Bureau of International Expositions formally signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on the World Expo Museum in Paris, France which defined the World Expo Museum as the only official museum and authorized documentation centre of BIE. The WEM is constructed cooperatively by the Shanghai Municipal Government and the Bureau of International Expositions and characterized as being international, unique, thematic, and sustainable. It is not only the first international museum in China but also the world's first museum which can comprehensively demonstrate the themes of World Expos. It will be built into the internationalized museum with distinctive characteristics highlighting design and creativity and a center for international academic exchanges which is unique in Shanghai, pioneering in China and well recognized by the world.

　　The World Expo Museum is located in Block 15-02, 15th Neighborhood in the Culture Exposition Area of the original Shanghai World Expo Site. With a planning area of about 40,000 ㎡, the WEM is scheduled to be completed and open to the public in 2016. Doubtlessly it will become a new cultural landmark in Shanghai. At present, the Shanghai Municipal Government has rated the World Expo Museum as a major cultural facility construction project in the city’s "Twelfth Five-year Plan".

　　With the mission of inheriting Expo legacy, carrying forward Expo spirit and sustaining Expo essence, the World Expo Museum to be completed will give a comprehensive exhibition of the spectacular event of the World Expo Shanghai, introduce the historical development of World Expo since 1851 till the World Expos held after 2010, provide a platform for international cultural exchange and technological innovation related to the World Expo, and become a think tank for the World Expo community.

　　In the preparation process for the WEM, Shanghai has held the "Commemoration Exhibition of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China" at the Pavilion of Footprint since September 2011. The Commemoration Exhibition is intended to "witness the success, retain the splendor and sustain the indelibility" by rousing the memories of the public about Shanghai Expo and to extend the effect of Shanghai Expo in the meanwhile. Therefore, the Commemorative Exhibition will serve as an actual rehearsal and the long-term campaign for the coming WEM.

Functional Positioning

I. Basic functions

1.Exhibition & Display
The WEM shall comprehensively display collections of each Expo, create the real atmosphere of Expo for the visitors in a proactive, creative and interactive display manner and realize the digital display of the exhibits by applying information technology, multimedia technology, network technology and other high-tech means. Meanwhile, it also aims to become a center of novel exhibitions in the whole world through international exhibitions.
2.Collection
All kinds of precious exhibits and collections of the each World Expos in the past and future are acquired and collected under the guidance and assistance of BIE; by doing so, it will play a positive role in promoting heritage protection, cultural inheritance and global promotion of World Expo.
3.Preservation
The World Expo Museum currently boasts a collection of 28,000 pieces. Special warehouses for collections will be built in World Expo Museum with the development of preservation measures according to the requirements of heritage category, characteristics, texture and environment. All kinds of precious cultural relics and collections related to the World Expo will be collected and protected.
4.Scientific Research
Collections and exhibits are studied and classified based on the historical process of World Expo development so as to discover the historical meaning and value. Studies on the World Expo themes will facilitate the research on the Expos’ impacts of global change and regional pattern of human development trends. The World Expo Museum will be the think tank and research practice center to summarize and inherit the World Expo legacy as well as study the World Expo themes.
5.Public Education
It is pointed out in Article 1 of Chapter I in the Convention of International Exhibitions that "World Expo is an exhibition; however named, its purpose is to educate the public." The World Expo Museum will actively establish a broad partnership with educational departments and agencies at home and abroad, carry out after-school education for teenagers based on the World Expo cultural development and scientific innovation by means of exhibitions, lectures, and cultural events and so on, and aims to become a centre of international exchange activities and practice base for teenagers.
6.Academic Exchanges
Cooperation with the World Expo participants and relevant academic research institutes is established under the guidance of the BIE to conduct joint academic research associated with the World Expo themes. Meanwhile, it also aims to seek cooperation in cultural relics, museology and cultural field, and conduct academic exchanges and other activities.
7.Literature, Retrieval and Publication Services
It will actively collect various World Expo literature and newspapers, journals, books and electronic audio and video products related to the World Expo, provide services in the related literature reading, retrieval and research, and serve as the place for literature and journal publication as is required by the BIE.
8.Services
The World Expo Museum aims to open an exclusive area of high culture for public cultural exchange and cultural recreation and offer various activities such as interactive entertainment, enlightening activities and special education. It will also become the exhibition center for innovative and creative products.

 

 

II.Literature Research Center
The BIE has authorized the World Expo Museum to be the exclusive official museum and documentation center of BIE. The literature research center will be committed to forging itself into an institution with theme-based, systematic, internationalized and authoritative features, it will focus on the collection of the World Expo related literature resources and become the center for World Expo international academic institutions and related scholars in terms of literature utilization and academic exchange, and establish the long-term mechanism for World Expo research to promote the publication of World Expo research results.
The Centre will undertake the following functions.
■ Collection and sorting of the World Expo related literature resources;
■ Research on World Expo subjects and publishing research results;
■ Library service and literature utilization services to the public;
■ Building up digital resources and providing for utilization;
■ International academic and cultural exchanges;
■ World Expo related training.

The literature research center is located in the World Expo Museum. It is a non-profit-making public cultural facility and contains functional areas such as library (including reference room), lecture hall, visiting scholars’ office, and literature archival repository etc. Presently the World Expo Museum has achieved preliminary fruits in academic research and published a series of academic books in aspects of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea and World Expo History in succession.