Expo Culture Center completed

One of the permanent venues of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo is the Culture Center. The enormous venue can be converted at will to stage performances, grand celebrations, concerts, basketball games, or even ice hockey competitions. On Wednesday, construction of the Center was completed, so let's take a sneak peak.

Construction on the Cultural Center at the Shanghai World Expo has been completed.

The seashell structure is located on the banks of Huangpu River, in the World Expo Park in Pudong district. Covering 76-thousand square meters, the performance venue contains a central stage surrounded by thousands of seats.

Wang Xiao'an, designer of World Expo Culture Center, said, "As an ice rink, the center stage can be 61 meters long and 30 meters wide. It's size changes to 28 meters long and 15 meters wide to accommodate a basketball game."

The seating configuration of the main auditorium can be changed to accommodate 5,000; 8,000; 10,000; 12,000; or 18,000 seats depending on the requirements of the event. And the changeover can be made within four hours.

Two performances will be staged daily during the fair with large concerts on weekends. After the fair, it will host 250 performances annually, incorporating activities such as sports, fashion, tourism, art training, shopping, and leisure.

The Center also includes a 360 degree sightseeing platform on the sixth floor. The Center is adjacent to the pavilions of China, South Korea, Japan, and Saudi Arabia in the south... and Expo Axis, public square, and Lupu Bridge in the west.

Besides the Culture Center, other permanent venues of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo include the China Pavilion, Theme Pavilion, Expo Center, and Expo Axis.