Celebration of Canada Day in the Expo Garden began this Monday and artistic groups from Canada entertained visitors, enabling them to learn a little more about the country that is known for its exceptional quality of life.

Visitors waiting outside the Canadian Pavilion. [China Daily]

The cultural program will run from June 27 to July 4 in the Expo Garden. During the week long celebration, performing groups including Grand Derangement founded in 1998, Jet Overhead, and Dancers of Damelahamid, known for its aboriginal dance from the Northwest of British Columbia, will take the stage at Americas' Square near the Canadian Pavilion every night.

Meanwhile, Kreesha Turner, the popular Canadian R&B recording artist will appear in the Expo Garden.

Most performers invited by the Canadian Pavilion operation team will appear in China for the first time.

Canadian Pavilion designer Cirque Du Soleil has also arranged nine performers from Tokyo, Japan, to perform in the Expo center on July 1 as a part of the celebration program.

"The performance is quite different from what we do normally," said Pascal Richer, representative of Cirque Du Soleil.

The celebration held on July 1 will be similar to a ceremony held in Canada every year.

"There will be music, flags and face-painting," said Jennifer Price, communications director of the Canadian Pavilion.

Price also revealed that visitors will have the chance to see people play hockey in the Expo Garden on national day. Hockey is a popular sport in Canada.

Pavilion operators will also distribute a limited number of postcards with the signature of Da Shan to visitors, who is also the commissioner general of the Canadian Pavilion.

With the theme: "The Living City: inclusive, sustainable, creative", the giant C-shaped Canadian Pavilion occupies an area of 6,000 sq m and welcomes around 35,000 visitors a day.

The design was inspired by the public spaces in big cities in Canada.

The final section of the pavilion shows a film called "Glimpses" directed by Jean-Francois Pouliot. By recording 24-hour life of an imagined city and accompanied by the rhythm of someone strolling along, the film gives visitors a real sense of walking through a beautiful city.

The design of the pavilion allows visitors to move in and out of the building fairly smoothly and quickly so the queuing time is around 45 minutes, much shorter than some of the European pavilions.

Notably, two members from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police welcome visitors into the Canadian Pavilion. The two representatives are recognizable as important symbols of Canada and are popular among visitors.