Ban Ki-moon, Wen attend Summit Forum to bid farewell to Shanghai Expo
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United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the Summit Forum on the sidelines of the Shanghai World Expo, which is set to be closed later Sunday.
The Shanghai Expo is the first time the event is held in a developing country, drawing 246 participated countries and international organizations, as well as more than 70 million visitors. London hosted the first Expo in the Crystal Palace of Hyde Park in 1851.
Ban Ki-moon said at the forum that the Chinese government, the City of Shanghai and the International Bureau of Expositions deserve the highest praise as the Shanghai World Expo brought nations together and celebrated global diversity.
"Since May of this year, all around the world, people have been talking about a remarkable, even historic event," Ban said.
Wen Jiabao said the Expo 2010 Shanghai China had been a splendid event and added a glorious chapter to the Expo history.
Calling the event "eye-opening" and "unforgettable", the Premier said since the Expo opened on May 1, there have been more than 70 million visits, a record high in the Expo history. For the first time, a virtual Expo was launched, opening a new window for more people to be part of the Expo, he said.
"Undeterred by the searing heat or soaking rain, they (visitors) waited patiently in long lines to witness this much anticipated event... Through such extensive participation, Expo 2010 Shanghai has truly brought together people around the globe," he said.
Within a land area of six square kilometers, the Expo Site has become a global village where people could not only see on display rare cultural treasures of the world, for example, the bronze chariot and horse sculpture from China's Warring States period, the statue of Athena from Greece and the masterpiece of French impressionist painters, but also got a taste of the quintessence of the world's diverse cultures through more than 20,000 cultural events, according to Wen.
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