Fortune smiles on 'Happy Street', lucky number 8

Many Chinese know the Netherlands as the home of Philips, tulips, clogs and soccer superstars like Robin van Persie. At the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the bicycle-loving nation will demonstrate that it has far more to offer.

Happy Street, the name of the Netherlands pavilion designed by architect John Krmeling, resembles a 400-m-long street that winds around in the shape of the number "eight." Eight is considered an auspicious number in China because it sounds like the mandarin Chinese word for "prosperity".

Visitors to the pavilion can stroll along its 26 "houses" representing different Dutch architectural traditions, including works by late masters such as Gerrit Rietveld, a famous furniture designer, and Jan Wils, who designed the Olympic Stadium for the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam.