Hunan Pavilion components on the road

An artist's rendition of the Hunan Pavilion [en.expo2010.cn]

The first batch of components for the Hunan Pavilion is heading to Shanghai, making Central China's Hunan Province one of the first domestic participants to start pavilion construction and exhibition arrangement.

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Hunan will recreate Taohuayuan (The Land of Peach Blossoms) - inspired by the masterpiece "Peach Blossom Spring" - at its 600-square-meter exhibition for the 2010 World Expo. It aims to display the model of a highly eco-friendly, cozy and dream-like place for living.

"Peach Blossom Spring" was written by the poet Tao Yuanming (365-427AD) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420AD). In the story, a fisherman in a place called Wuling discovers a hidden valley with blossoming peach trees where people live in tranquility and know nothing of the outside world.

Today Wuling is best known as a mountain range in northwest Hunan. East of it is the Peach Blossom Spring (Taoyuan) district.

The pavilion will feature a fine collection of natural beauty and cultural traditions special to the province.

The components are expected to arrive by road within three days. They will be used for the main structure of the pavilion - the Mobius strip, a magic loop created by a German mathematician by taking a paper strip and giving it a half-twist from each end, and then joining the ends of the strip together to form a loop like number "8".

Instead of following the traditional exhibition arrangement, the pavilion is designed to allow entrance from several areas, creating a feeling of freedom among visitors.