SHANGHAI - Getting up before sunrise to queue for a ticket or paying extra money to guarantee entrance may sound hideous, but for many visitors that is insignificant compared to the excitement of visiting the China Pavilion in the Expo Garden.

Patriotic pride is not the only thing appealing about the China Pavilion, also known as the Crown of the East. To visitors coming from all corners of China, the pavilion offers an opportunity to know their country and what kind of lives their compatriots are living.

"I just think that I must understand China first before I understand other countries," said Hu Ningshan, a 56-year-old housewife from Central China's Henan province.