Viva Mexico!

As if celebrating Mexico’s Bicentennial Independence was not enough, last September 16 the Mexican Pavilion at Expo Shanghai celebrated its National Day, which is a celebration organized by the Expo’s organizers to honor each of the 192 participating countries.

This double celebration was no coincidence. According to Eduardo Seldner, General Commissioner of the Mexican Pavilion, from the outset, Mexico’s National Day “was programmed to coincide with Mexico’s Bicentennial Independence celebrations.”

The event was a mixture of art, folklore and music that included the inauguration of the exhibit “Mexico in Your Senses,” by renowned photographer Willy Sousa, and the unveiling of the work “Natural Dialogues” by sculptor Rivelino, which will be exhibited in the pavilion until the Expo closes at the end of October.

The travelling museum “Mexico in Your Senses” is made up of a video and a photograph exhibit in which Sousa’s lens captured Mexican traditions, idiosyncrasy and way of life. First seen by Mexican audiences in March of this year in Mexico City’s Zocalo, it has, since May, been shown in Argentina, the United States and Canada and now for the first time on the Asian continent at Expo Shanghai 2010. This exhibit has been seen by more than 8 million people.

The sculpture “Natural Dialogues” was made expressly for exhibition in the Mexican Pavilion. This bronze and steel sculpture, which is 6 meters wide by 3.20 meters high, is based on the relationships between human beings and nature. Furthermore, this work that weighs almost one ton, invite reflection on our planet’s biodiversity, its care and vitality for our cities, concepts which coincide with Expo’s theme: “Better City, Better Life.”

On the other hand, jewelry lovers enjoyed Ofelia Murrieta’s jewelry exhibit “La China Intervenida,” which arose from Murrieta's research into postcards, drawings and cartoons depicting the evolution of “China Poblana” dresses through time.

In addition, attendees to the celebration danced to the rhythm of music by Veracruz group Mono Blanco and by Colectivo Nortec, which fuses electronic rhythms with norteña music, and experienced Mexican traditions through a performance by Amalia Hernández’s Ballet Folclórico de México.

Finally, the celebrations would not be complete without the traditional “Grito de Independencia,” followed by traditional Mexican drinks and dishes, such as quesadillas, tacos, tamales, shrimp with chile, antojitos (traditional treats) and desserts such as buñuelos and churros, prepared by the pavilion’s Mexican restaurant.

More than Two Million Visitors at the Mexico Pavilion, and Counting

Li Xiangwen, a Chinese retired professor, is proof that Mexico’s participation in the Shanghai 2010 Expo has been a success. Professor Li was the two millionth visitor to the “Kite Forest.” Since May 1^st, when the expo and our pavilion opened their doors, more than 17,000 people have visited the pavilion every day to appreciate Mexican culture, art and warmth.

The staff of the Mexico Pavilion gathered at the entrance, next to a replica of the Bell of Dolores—which tolled louder than ever—, to receive Li Xiangwen, who was pleasantly surprised with such a warm welcome.

Ana García, director of the Mexico Pavilion, felt honored by this achievement, since just 100 days after the inauguration of the expo we have exceeded the number of visitors initially expected.

This significant celebration ended with a delicious meeting in ProMéxico’s Business Center, where our honored visitor enjoyed Mexican snacks cooked at the pavilion’s restaurant.

The expo will continue until October 31, and we are certain that the Mexico Pavilion will experience more achievements, giving Mexicans many reasons to feel proud of our performance in Shanghai.

The Mexico Pavilion Welcomes Handicapped Visitors

The Mexico Pavilion has many features, and one of them is its accessibility for handicapped individuals.

The “Kite Forest” has a wheelchair ramp that leads handicapped visitors from the street to the pavilion’s museography and the wide exhibit halls that allow them to move around.

That way, anyone, regardless of their physical condition, can appreciate the wonderful museography exhibited in the Mexico Pavilion and enjoy and learn about everything that Mexico has to offer.

For instance, the mask hall has a device that allows visitors to see through them and appreciate everyday scenes from Mexico and other parts of the country.

The Mexico Pavilion is proud to offer such considerations to handicapped individuals.

ProMéxico’s Business Center Proves that Mexico is Opportunity

Without a doubt, one of the most important parts of the Mexico Pavilion is ProMéxico’s Business Center. This area shows businessmen and visionaries all the advantages that Mexico has to offer to investors and invites them to discover Mexico as a country that means opportunity.

During the Expo’s first months, the Business Center has been very active. Since starting operations with the participation of the state of Jalisco, it has received 70 local companies and 300 investors, and it has held 75 individual meetings.

Some of the activities held at the Business Center are Tourism Promotion Seminars, Investment Promotion Seminars, conferences for businessmen from the infrastructure, electronics, power generation and automotive sectors, meetings between representatives from various companies and investors, tastings organized by the tequila industry, and other activities.

As part of these activities, many participation agreements and alliances have been made with local companies as well as planned promotion actions.

It is important to note that, in addition to business meetings and trade missions, ProMéxico’s Business Center also carries out academic work, through lectures and conferences with students from universities such as ITESM, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and recently the University of Singapore.

The State of Mexico at the Mexico Pavilion

The State of Mexico has come the Mexico Pavilion at Shanghai 2010 Expo with a huge artistic, industrial and business offer to show visitors and investors the opportunities it offers.

State officials who attended the event emphasized the state’s geographic, social and economic attributes before a Chinese audience that showed interest in our country.

Among the most attractive features that the State of Mexico will show the global audience attending the expo is an exhibit from the Biblioteca Mexiquense del Bicentenario, which includes books that will be donated to the Mexican Chamber of Commerce after the expo.

In addition, the “Kite Forest” will be honored with the presence of the Ballet Folclórico del Estado de México that acquired a vast experience in this country with their participation in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. They will be joined by the group Renacimiento, who will be offering several performances daily both at the slope and inside the pavilion.

Mexico’s Cultural Proposal for Hearing Impaired Visitors

For the first time at Shanghai 2010 Expo, a pavilion is presenting a cultural event exclusively for the hearing impaired.

The “Seña y Verbo” theater company presented the play “¿Quién te entiende?” [Who understands you?] at the Music Hall. Their performance was a huge success, especially for Gong Bo Rong, director of China’s Handicapped Individuals Federation.

The Mexico Pavilion also exhibited Frida Kahlo’s art—she is the most important artist, who lived most of her life with adverse physical conditions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the events to continue with the cultural agenda until the end of the Expo on October 31.

Mexico’s Culture at Shanghai 2010

Mexico’s participation at the Shanghai 2010 Expo has been marked by intense cultural activity. During the first weeks, the Expositions Centre was filled with the electronic music promise from Positrón, a young man who brought to Shanghai a new way of making music that impressed the attendants—mostly Chinese.

A week later, the venue vibrated with a performance by Café Tacvba—one of Mexico’s leading bands. The rock band entertained an audience of more than 2,000 spectators in only two days with their classic song with a show that lasted almost two hours.

Likewise, the expo showcased other alternatives, such as Chéjere, a Mexican band that blends Latin rhythms with Mexican folk music, Cuban son and huapango from Veracruz.

This concert took place at the Americas Square, which is in the heart of the C Zone of the Expo’s park. Chéjere offered a couple of performances that were a huge success among the more than 600 individuals attending each performance.

Some of the newest proposals included in the Mexico Pavilion’s cultural agenda at Expo 2010 were Lumínico, a very interesting music proposal that shows the creativity and experimentation that Mexican artists are capable of reaching and bringing to Asia.

This “multimedia concert” has held on June 13 at the Expo Culture Center’s Music Club.