Souvenir hunters extend Shanghai Expo's legacy

Aimed at showcasing Australian innovation, creativity and achievement, the exterior of the pavilion was made of special weathering steel, produced in Australia by BlueScope Steel. Two steel panels carrying paintings by Australian artists Guy Maestri and Frances Belle Parker were sold at a charity auction on Oct 30 at Red Gate Gallery in Beijing to celebrate Australia-China cultural year. The money will go to schools in Sichuan province and Australia.

Nicknamed "the Dandelion" for its appearance, the pavilion consisted of 60,000 acrylic rods containing seeds. About 8,000 went under the hammer online on Oct 28 on Taobao, while 20,000 will be shared between the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, and its Chinese partner, the Kunming Institute of Botany. Another 1,000 rods will go to Chinese schools involved in the Green Your School and Climate 4 Classrooms programs initiated by the British Council to inspire young people to take part in protecting biodiversity. The rest will be used as part of other charity projects.