Record smashers at the Shanghai World Expo

World's oldest welcome ritual

Maori dances in the New Zealand Pavilion

Maori performers will stage kapa haka, an ancient Maori dance, at the waiting area of the pavilion every day to welcome visitors.

The loud and vigorous performance involves choral singing, dancing and hand-to-hand combat movements.

Song and dance include waiata tira （warm-up song), whakaeke (entrance song), waiata-a-ringa (action song), haka (challenge), pou or moteatea (old-style singing), poi (coordinated swinging of balls attached to cords), and whakawaetae (closing song). They may include titi torea (synchronized manipulation of thin sticks).

Tip: Don’t be frightened by what might seem fierce - loud singing and vigorous dancing are signs of welcome.

World's top toilet

The potty in the Japan Industry Pavilion

The pavilion on the Puxi site of Expo is touting the toilet that will make users feel as

relaxed as in a living room. Organizers call it the "world's most comfortable place" to relieve oneself - and the cleanest.

The luxury toilets feature aromatic odors and 24-hour cleaning with high-intelligence technologies.

Pavilion organizers say "a large part" of the exhibition's 3-billion-yen (US$33.3 million) budget was spent on the throne room.

"The toilet will make cleaners feel proud to work in the WC," said Sakaiya Taichi, overall producer of the Japan Industry Pavilion.

Around 70 people will be admitted to the pavilion every four minutes.

Visitors can choose the brief tour designed by the organizer that will take around 30 minutes -- or a complete, one-hour tour if they want to experience the toilet.

Tip: A luxury Japanese restaurant will charge 3,000 yuan (US$439) each for a meal in the pavilion. Visitors can experience one of the world's most expensive restaurants and then experience the world's most comfortable toilet.

World's biggest IMAX screen

The theater in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion

The pavilion's second floor will feature a 360-degree, 1,600-square-meter cinema screen, said to be the world's largest 3-D IMAX theater.

It's as large as two football fields and will surround strolling visitors. The theater, called the "Wow Space," will take visitors to the country's oases, deserts, villages, seas and cities with their modern architecture as well as traditional bazaars.

Audiences can stroll about and watch Bedouin nomads on their camels, as well as scholars, artists and other urbanites. They will feel as if they are part of the scene.

Tip: After watching the movie, visitors can ascend to the roof garden oasis and relax in the shade of around 150 Saudi date palms.