The World Expo Museum was officially open on May 1 after more than three years of construction!

The new museum is full up on the first officially opening day.

The first lucky visitor is Mr. Sun Bing from Shanghai. He is the first one hurried to the ticket hall to exchange for the ticket he booked, and became the first formal audience after the WEM was open on May 1.

Mr. Sun Bing, the first visitor from Shanghai

Liu Xiuhua, Director of World Expo Museum (Left) takes photo with the first overseas visitor, Mr. Futagami Atsushi(Middle)

The first overseas visitor is Mr.Futagami Atsushifrom Japan, who used to be a volunteer of Expo 2010 Shanghai. He came afar for the visit and deliberatelyput on the uniform dressed in 2010. He said, “Last month, when I heard the WEM would be open, I immediately bought the air ticket and flew over. I am so excited and feeling a lot.”

In order to visit the WEM, he came to queue up at the entrance early at 7 am. After entering, he was deeply impressed by the huge amount of various exhibits, and the beautiful memories as a “small cabbage” of the Expo came back to him one after another. He ceaselessly stopped in front of the exhibits and took photos as a souvenir. Especially he felt as if being immersed in the scenes of the multimedia video that reappears the Expo history from multiple perspectives.

“It is so good here, very attractive.” Futagami Atsushisaid, “I’ll come again in July, because the World Expo Museum has a Special-Effect Cinema to open on July 1.”

Yamada Tomiyo from Japan, known as the “Expo Granny”

Yamada Tomiyo from Japan, known as the “Expo Granny”, also came to the World Expo Museum with great excitement and presented her good wishes. She said that Japan has held several sessions of Expos, including Expo 2005 Aichi that attracted many Chinese visitors. World Expos have intensified the exchanges between the two peoples of China and Japan. At present, Osaka is applying for hosting Expo 2025, and she hopes that Japan can continue to get the support from more Chinese people. She expresses that the completion and opening of the WEM highlights the significance of converging global cultures.

3D-printed exhibits attract wide attention

The brilliant multimedia exhibits are beyond the praise of audience

Teenagers are caught by the stories behind the exhibits

The design and layout team is comprised of the specialists from three countries of China, Italy and Spain, reflecting the authority and international vision. With the tour guide being written in Chinese and English, the WEM is open to the world. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will also hold a special exhibition at the WEM.

Here will become a think tank in global Expo culture and innovation, and a future-oriented new cultural landmark in Shanghai and China.

The essence of “World Expo” has been focused on human civilization. The WEM also gathers the wisdom of the world. According to the Memorandum and Agreement signed by Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Bureau International des Expositions, the BIE gave the WEM an overall guidance in exhibition design proposal, and recommended international experts to participate in the WEM exhibition, and provide channels, resources and mechanism guarantee for the WEM to collect exhibits and literatures.

The WEM has eight permanent exhibition halls with a total area of about 9,000 square meters, covering eight themes of the World Comes Together, Moving with Progress, the Optimism of Modernity, World of Challenges, Century’s Event, World Civilization, Chinese Wisdom and Vision of Future.

From June to September this year, the specialized Expo 2017 Astana will be hosted by Kazakhstan that is themed at “Future Energy”. The comprehensive Expo Dubai will be held by the United Arab Emirates in 2020. Liu Xiuhua, Director of World Expo Museum says that China will continue the fate with World Expos along the way of “the Belt and Road Initiative”, and the WEM will carry out academic research, collection of exhibits and literature and cultural exchanges through the international arena in World Expo.