Famous people to send Expo visions

One hundred personalities from around the world will be invited to share their visions and write goodwill messages for the 2010 World Expo.

The messages will be about the interaction of human civilization, sound urban development and a harmonious society, international cooperation and mutual trust, the coexistence of the global economy, as well as scientific innovation and the Expo philosophy.

Up to 70 messages will be from abroad, including political leaders, mayors of sister cities, heads of international corporations and organizations, Nobel Prize winners, and others from the fields of economics, culture, academia and sport.

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The names include former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder; Kim Dae-Jung, former president of the Republic of Korea and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize winner; Boris Johnson, mayor of London, which hosted the first Expo; HSBC chairman Stephen Green; China's first taikonaut Yang Liwei; Wu Liangyong, a member of the Chinese Academies of Science and Engineering; and Tan Dun, a Grammy and Oscar-winning composer.

This project, called "100 celebrities worldwide talking about Expo 2010" is being jointly organized by the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government, the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, Jiefang Daily and Wenhui Daily.

The messages will be published in Shanghai newspapers including Jiefang Daily, Wenhui Daily and Shanghai Daily from January 21, which marks the 100-day countdown to the Expo. A book comprising their messages will also be issued.