Shanghai World Expo 2010 PHOTOS: Expo Opens After Epic Fireworks Show

Shanghai celebrated the opening of what is said to be the largest world expo in history Friday with an epic fireworks display that marked the city's return to the world stage.

As the AP noted, "the Expo marks an emphatic comeback as a major world city after decades of spartan industrialism following the 1949 communist revolution. Like the 2008 Olympics, the event is showcasing China's growing economic and geopolitical sway, both for the world and for its own public." As the New York Times wrote, Shanghai now envision itself "as a financial capital for the region, even the world."

Shanghai reportedly spent at least $44 billion to put on the massive expo, even more than was spent on the similarly spectacular 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is the first expo to be held in a developing country.

Check out some great photos from the Expo. Interested in the pavilions? See our slideshow of the 25 best.

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Fireworks illuminate the sky during the opening ceremony of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 30, 2010.

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Fireworks illuminate the sky during the opening ceremony of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on April 30, 2010.

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Comments

[munki]

01:46 AM on 06/05/2010

Why always photo of Sarkozy?

[Shmilfke]

06:27 PM on 05/22/2010

Of all the World leaders at the expo, Huffington Post decides to show the picture of the leader of a permanently "refugee" status people who never in history had their own country? Something is wrong.... someone's making a subtle political statement....

[leber By DeisGn]

06:40 AM on 05/04/2010

Fireworks Look ..
Soo
Awesome Wish i could have been there :\

[WilliamTheV]

05:43 AM on 05/03/2010

Yeah... I'm not gonna like China until they start treating human beings as such. The US may not be doing so hot right now, but when it comes to (technical) equality under the law, religious and social freedom, we got china beat hands down.

USA! USA! USA!

[Whatnow]

06:34 AM on 05/03/2010

I have never been to China but the Freedoms you talk of in America are all fading.
We have become slaves to technology and the corporations.

[munki]

01:59 AM on 06/05/2010

you have a point... never be negative about others as we are not up to "the" par...

[Ergon]

05:10 PM on 05/02/2010

China and India, having two of the world's oldest surviving civilizations, have so much to offer the world, but my money's, on China.

[munki]

02:01 AM on 06/05/2010

China is the only country has not been conquered in its entirety by other nation(s).

India - Brits; Egypt - Romans and much more... I was reading history.

[Nathaniel Mills]

04:42 PM on 05/02/2010

Wot, no Transplant Pavilion?

[Ergon]

05:11 PM on 05/02/2010

You must get your news from the Moonies, er, Falunies :)

[Nathaniel Mills]

06:29 PM on 05/02/2010

A Moonie-Falunie once said to me:/ "Do you pick news, like fruit, from a poisoned tree?"/ "No", I replied, "there are other sources/ which take into account many evil forces."

OK w/me if you do some research on the subject.

[Raul Asencio]

01:09 PM on 05/02/2010

I want to be there :D

[3dtrix]

11:09 AM on 05/02/2010

I really like what the Chinese have done with OUR money! Thanks, Wal-Mart...

[mike72]

10:34 PM on 05/02/2010

Your money is worthless. China is sitting on 2.3 trillion dollars worth of it.

Most things done in Shanghai Expo are using Chinese labor and Chinese resources, not through purchase oversea with worhtless money.

[Oleg1]

09:20 AM on 05/02/2010

Leadership of the Chinese communist party and work ethnic of Chinese people has made this astonishing progress. possible.
There are still many persistent problems, but united and prosperous, Chinese people can work on fixing them.
For those with some historical perspective-- for the first time in its history China is able to feed and educate its entire population.

[Fred VonHayek]

10:50 AM on 05/02/2010

While Obama's addiction to mediocrity leads us inexorably downhill into decline.

BTW, he is not respected by the Chinese leadership.

They are all engineers by training....they are not impressed with a community organizer.

[thundermummy]

11:10 PM on 05/02/2010

D-

[maximilliansjs]

05:02 PM on 05/03/2010

Fact: George Bush and the republicans are responsible for 11.2 Trillion of our debt. Forbes Oct 2010. Obama since being president is 1.1 Trillion. By the way. Im Chinese and from Taipei. Obama is respected much more than oaf Bush.

[xiaodashan]

12:55 PM on 05/02/2010

wow,i have a Chinese Environmental scientist friend who says the Chinese economic miracle is dumping frenzy of economically hazardous and inefficent western enterprises into an innocent and trustingly naive nation exiled from the mainstream of 21st century development by it's cultural insularity and political instability.His main concern is a massive fossil fuel dependant economy will ultimately make the western industrial revolution seem like a dress rehearsal for environmental catastrophe.I myself am a little concerned about Chinese education when a 16 year old is asked to sit a national entrance exam for University (only one try allowed for your avergae student)which has on average a 94% failure rate.And my scientist friend also liked to live abroad because he found 80 % of chinese food failed most western standard health tests.And of course the majority of chinese do nt have health care,so they suffer bravely and slave themselves to save and which then practically gets extorted by doctors,this is not astonishing me or my chinese wife.

[ObamaismyHero08012]

08:34 AM on 05/02/2010

Why are the Chinese having all the fun while we are having all the crap in the USA?, from oil spills, sleazy politics to no Tiger at the Quail Hollow.

[mike72]

10:39 PM on 05/02/2010

That is the difference between a nationalistic economy and a capitalistic economy. The former can work on national interest level, while the latter optimize on individual capistalist level.

That said, do you really want your home bulldozed for someone else having fun? That is what happened to thousands of family in that 5.8 squre miles of Shanghai Expo. Of course, in the long term, it is actually much better for the city as it has systematically upgraded the city through this event, but for those families, it is not so fun.

All depends on your perspective ...

[Captai]

06:41 AM on 05/02/2010

China beats USA at everything, Mere years to build this and Beijing too while USA can't rebuild the World Trade Center after 9 years? Way to go!

[Rock Brasiliano]

07:32 AM on 05/02/2010

China ascendant, Europe and the US in decline...the Muslim world in reverse overdrive. Better study my Cantonese.

[Oleg1]

09:12 AM on 05/02/2010

Le hao ma, guei lao?

[mike72]

10:41 PM on 05/02/2010

Yeah, what is up with the World Trade Center deal. It has been 9 years and it is still one stinky hole. I guess the government prefers it this way so it can be the ground zero formever as a reminder of the horror of our perceived enemy.

[SilentSolidarity]

03:24 AM on 05/02/2010

I heard that many Chinese people hate black people? And seriously, I don't appreciate things that were build through force, unfair wages, and stealing land from people who lived there for decades.

No, I'm not a hypocrite. I hated the castles, pyramids, etc. I cannot understand why people ignore that sl.aves were forced to build them, only because they look beautiful.

That much more light, fireworks, and state-of-the-art design won't change a Real liberal mind.

[nj210014]

04:31 AM on 05/02/2010

You don't have a "Real" liberal mind. You have a very closed mind. You paint a broad brush to slander the people of a whole nation based on hearsay. So, do us a favor, don't go to China with your prissy attitude!

Yes, you are a hypocrite. Chinese people do not owe you anything because they didn't enslave or kill your ancestors.

[SilentSolidarity]

05:09 PM on 05/02/2010

Oh look. It's an honor to speak to the Chinese government. Say hello from California.

[Oleg1]

09:15 AM on 05/02/2010

SilentSolidarity, you missed an invaluable opportunity to keep silent on issues you know nothing about.

[SilentSolidarity]

05:10 PM on 05/02/2010

Wow! It must have taken you an hour to write something like that, right?

[munki]

02:30 AM on 05/02/2010

Wish I was there for the event.

[kedikat]

12:17 AM on 05/02/2010

A very impressive bit of whistling past the grave yard.

[powerflowernewyork]

11:03 PM on 05/01/2010

yeah,yeah ,yeah!I hope the lightshow did not come from our classified dept.I am watching!