China unveils grand pavilion at 2010 World Expo
Updated: 2008-02-18 10:50
BEIJING -- Draped in red cloth, China's pavilion at the 2010 World Expo is at first glance a very obviously Chinese structure.
When the mysterious red veil is lifted, however, it is revealed as a complex structure that celebrates a diverse range of traditional Chinese elements, including architecture, calligraphy, gardening and urban planning.
Standing in the central location of the Expo site at 63 meters tall, triple the height of any other pavilion, the structure certainly will become a fine exhibit for Shanghai to present to the world ahead of the Expo opening.
The main structure of the China Pavilion, "The Crown of the East," has a distinctive roof, made of traditional dougong or brackets, which has a history dating back more than 2,000 years.
The dougong style features wooden brackets fixed layer upon layer between the top of a column and a crossbeam. This unique structural component of interlocking wooden brackets is one of the most important elements in traditional Chinese architecture.
Dougong was widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC). After the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the bracket sets became more ornamental than structural when used in palatial structures and important religious buildings.
Ancient craftsmen cut the wooden pieces to fit together so perfectly that no glue or fasteners were necessary. Today, visitors can still see these distinct brackets in the Forbidden City and Summer Palace in Beijing.
The six-layer, 30-meter-high dougong roof is actually the exhibition area of the Chinese national pavilion. The 56 brackets used in the roof symbolize the 56 minority ethnic groups in China.
The top of the roof features a Sudoku grid, which was a traditional urban planning feature in ancient Chinese cities such as Xi'an (Shaanxi Province) and Beijing.
When the sun shines into the pavilion, there will be a smaller Sudoku shadow in the semi-open square on the ground floor of the structure.
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