Rising to the challenge at the US Pavilion
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What message do you want to convey to the world through the films?
The one thing I have heard from some political leaders around the world who have seen the films is: It tells a very powerful story about America. You get a really good feeling about what America is. From ordinary people to people in academia to people in politics, you get a spectrum from American society that you might not get in another presentation.
In the second segment there are a lot of children who are describing their dreams about the future and about renewable energy. Some of them are very cute. There is one child who talks about powering cars with fruit juice. People laugh at it, but this displays the power of imagination. The film talks about ideas and the ability of children to dream and imagine. You know those children will grow up with a certain mindset. That is what the message is about: Children have the ability to make a difference. And so people leave the pavilion with a very warm feeling about that. I feel 100 percent confident that we have achieved our objective with this pavilion.
Some say the US Pavilion is less popular than European pavilions based on the length of the queues for different pavilions. What are your comments on that?
It warms my heart that those pavilions are very popular. In fact, I intend to see all of them myself. We are very happy with the level of interest in our pavilion, and the reaction once visitors come to our pavilion. It is impossible to know why people queue up at one place versus another. So much publicity has surrounded the issue of how popular the US Pavilion is or not. It may just be a matter of: "It's going to be virtually impossible to get in, so let's try somewhere else." All I can say is I am deeply pleased that those pavilions are achieving a high level of excitement and energy.
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| The US Pavilion hosts about 35,000 visitors a day [IC/ EXPO Weekly] |
We are so pleased and proud for the Chinese people. The United States has held a number of very important World's Fairs throughout history. In fact, my hometown San Antonio held the 1968 World's Fair. It was a fraction of the size of this one in Shanghai. We only had 30 countries. But it was very powerful for my community, my city and for the sociology of the city. I can only imagine what this represents for the people of China, to bring the world to China to help celebrate what China has achieved.
And beyond that, the practical benefits are that the Expo offers a platform for achieving our diplomatic goals – to have conversations not only with China, but also with leaders from all over the world. We have met a number of people already. They talked about the issues that are important for their countries. That is something we really haven't understood before. How powerful an opportunity is that? It's a stunning opportunity for China and a fabulous opportunity for us to be part of it.
The US Commissioner General to the Expo
José H. Villarreal is an attorney in San Antonio, Texas with a distinguished background in law, business and the non-governmental sectors. He served as assistant attorney general in the public finance division of the Texas attorney general's office. He also has served in senior roles in numerous presidential campaigns. He was a director of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., from 1998 to 2006. He currently serves as United States Commissioner General to the Shanghai World Expo.
Quick Facts of the US Pavilion
Pavilion Day: July 2
Theme: Rising to the Challenge
Location: Zone C of the Expo Park
Total Area: 6,000 square meters
Key Feature: 168 mandarin-speaking student ambassadors
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