The Shanghai Expo is proving to be a success, yet already, many are worrying about the fate of the elaborate pavilions that grace the Expo showgrounds. According to the rules of the Bureau of International Expositions, the governing body of the World Expos, and the organizing committee of Shanghai Expo, most pavilions are to be dismantled after the six-month event ends to make way for the redevelopment of the site.

Can this practice of dismantling the pavilions be changed? Statistics of just two of the pavilions shows the enormous amounts of money spent on construction - Japan spent  $143 million and Saudi Arabia $146 million. Is it therefore logical or worthwhile for these heavily invested pavilions to stand for only six months?

Many of the pavilions also represent cutting-edge technology and can be considered architectural art, adding further credence to the call to keep them in place permanently.

However, others would say that the dismantling of pavilions is saving rather than wasting money since the redevelopment of the Expo site will be more beneficial for the local economy. Besides, the pavilions have all been designed to be disassembled and made with biodegradable materials. These voices say that it is not convincing to have more tourists coming to visit the pavilions after six months since the structures will become less attractive as the Expo hype and fanfare fades.

Yes

Zhu Yonglei

Deputy Head of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

I believe disassembling the pavilions of Expo 2010 is a wise decision in the long run, for it saves rather than wastes tens of millions of dollars.

National pavilions were constructed with financial support from each government and in some cases from businesses. Intellectual property rights regarding the technology used in the construction and in the displays therefore rest with each country. So, purchasing the property rights and spending money on maintenance could become a burden for the local government coffers. Even though those magnificent pavilions will attract millions of tourists after the Expo, it is still uncertain that the benefits from tourism can outweigh the costs.

Moreover, the Expo site is located in downtown area of Shanghai where land is invaluable. Is it then more beneficial for the 5.28 square km area to remain as a mere tourist attraction rather than be redeveloped for public welfare? Do we really want to put people's aesthetic needs before the local residents' actual demand for housing? I think the answer to the two questions is no. Just as the Expo 2010 theme – "Better City, Better Life" – indicates, Shanghai needs to strive for a better city so that all its residents will lead a better life in the future; it is a goal the preservation of temporary structures in a highly expensive area cannot achieve.

Li Erfeng

tieba.baidu.com

If the pavilions are left where they are, many of them will suffer from decomposition and cease to be as attractive as they are now. Many materials used in the construction of those pavilions are degradable and easy to be disassembled. Therefore, they shall be dismantled soon after the Expo is over.

Many people hold an idea that it will be a great waste of money if the expensive pavilions are disassembled afterwards. In fact, the prolonged existence of those exhibition halls will become a burden to the local government's finances.

Then it is unreasonable for us to keep the pavilions when we can put the materials, otherwise decayed, into better use. The intention to preserve them is sound, but the act will do us no good in terms of the local economy and of the city's image.

What's more, as China may hold more World Expos in future, there is no need to feel pity for the fabulous architectural masterpieces to be dismantled. Better and more creative structures will be erected again in China at the next Expo.

Xue Peijian

President of Shanghai Media and Entertainment Group

These pavilions of course should be disassembled and put to proper use in the post-Expo period because of their position in downtown Shanghai, a place where land can be measured against gold. Some people may feel it a pity to remove these well constructed pavilions and the exhibits since many people may want to visit them after the Expo ends.

Actually, they do not need to worry so long as we can utilize the exhibits after these pavilions are disassembled. I think some pavilions and exhibits can be shown in Songjiang Base for Movie and Television, and the International Cultural Movie, Television and Media Originality Park, which is now under construction. Besides, new platforms can be established for those participating countries that want to continue the exhibition of their advanced technologies.

No

Luo Lei

Shanghai resident

Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in the construction of the pavilions of Expo 2010, so it is a huge waste of money to dismantle them after only six months, no matter which country has offered financial support. I strongly oppose the proposal that those pavilions be torn down after the Expo is over.

With the Expo 2010's commitment of being thrifty, low-carbon and environment-friendly, such a proposal to dismantle these costly pavilions seems to have hit a nerve. The original designs have taken into account all these three considerations. Then, why should they be removed? The pavilions are not only costly but also recognized as some of the finest architecture the world has ever seen. Dismantling them will be a cruel act that squanders both money and chances for people to appreciate the creativity made possible by the best minds of each nation.

Jinshui Xiansheng

bbs.ifeng.com

Just as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube have been preserved as a symbol of the Beijing Olympics, the signature pavilions of Expo 2010 should be retained for its symbolic significance of Shanghai's experience of having held a World Expo.

Shanghai is developed in its industry and business sectors; however, the metropolis still lacks its unique culture, something that can connect the city with the world. Holding the Expo provides Shanghai with a good opportunity of leaving something special.

These pavilions are well designed and built with wisdom by talented people throughout the world. If these pavilions are disassembled after the Expo terminates, Shanghai will lose a good opportunity of being remembered by the outside world.

Thus, these pavilions should be preserved and serve as the permanent reminder of the fruits harvested in such international communications.

Lin Yun

Beijing post-graduate

Shanghai should permanently preserve the culturally significant pavilions of Expo 2010, because their existence can promote the city image of Shanghai as a metropolis in its real sense.

Shanghai has long been criticized for its lack of cultural development and was mocked as a "cultural desert."

Culture is the soul of a city and Shanghai needs to have something that can symbolize it as an international metropolis. These Expo pavilions can help Shanghai in this regard, as these pavilions symbolize cultures of the countries throughout the world.

Though dismantling Expo pavilions and redeveloping the site can mobilize economic development, Shanghai really needs a cultural touch to be ranked among the list of international metropolises, such as New York and London. Under such circumstances, retaining the whole area of creative architecture with distinctive features would be a strategic decision for the city to achieve its long-term goal.