It's Expo for kids

Five-year-old Xu Yue from Zhejiang at the Russia Pavilion. [GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY]

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Adults aren't the only ones excited about Expo 2010, so are the kids. According to a survey of primary and middle school students by the Municipal Bureau of Education before the Expo, 70 percent of children said they wanted to visit, while 50 percent hope to go more than once.

Appealing to visitors of all ages, many pavilions have prepared interactive games or facilities for children to learn through playing, especially for Children's Day on Tuesday.

Themed "Children Make a City", the Russia Pavilion has been designed as a fairyland. It features 12 irregularly shaped towers in white, red and gold. The pavilion welcomes visitors to see the world through children's eyes.

"We've got a miniature artificial space where the sun shines permanently, bringing light onto every window of the hall to create a translucent labyrinth with virtual displays of technological inventions by Russian youth," said Julia Nemtsova, the event officer from the Russia Pavilion.

For kids aged five to 10, the technological information shown at the Russia Pavilion may be too complicated to understand but the colorful decorations will still catch their attention.

"I like the Russia Pavilion most because I felt I was in a dream of fairytales. I enjoyed walking past those colorful houses with shinning flowers," said Ren Zhiye, a five-year old girl who was excited to visit the Expo.

"On Children's Day, the Russian Pavilion will welcome Russian and Chinese children to create paintings reflecting their view of the future. Their joint works will be displayed in the pavilion after the event," Nemtsova said.

With similar approaches, the Denmark Pavilion brings the fairytale character, The Little Mermaid, to life.

The best attraction for kids in the Denmark Pavilion is the fountain on the rooftop, created by Danish artist Jeppe Hein. Adults and children can jump into the fountain while water rises and falls around them.

"The Denmark Pavilion is the must-see pavilion for my daughter who adores the story of The Little Mermaid," said Sun Jinlin, mother of a six-year-old girl. "I brought her here to Expo to broaden her views with a multicultural education."

For Children's Day, there will be a special limbo dance competition for the kids on the roof of the Danish Pavilion. There will also be a series of games, including a sack race, a treasure hunt and quiz on Denmark and Danish culture.

Sweden provides children with a slide, an imitation kitchen and a swing inside its the pavilion. Korea has designed interactive games with toys for kids. And Switzerland has a cable car for sightseeing.

"I want to go to all the pavilions with games or playful toys. I want to play on the slide over at the Sweden Pavilion and ride the cable car on the top of the Switzerland Pavilion," said five-year-old Zhang Dali.

The Japan Pavilion, one of the most popular pavilions in Zone A, highlights cutting-edge technologies, including a machine that can turn sewage into drinking water and several robots playing violins for visitors.

"Although we have to queue at least one hour to get into the Japan Pavilion, I really want to watch the robots playing violins," said 10-year-old Wang Bozhi from Yan'an.

"My son is only 10 years old. I don't think that he could totally understand the spirit of the Expo but he definitely can obtain knowledge that he can't learn from classes, " said Wang's father.