Visitors vandalize pavilion exhibits

SHANGHAI - Just two months into the Expo 2010 Shanghai, some countries have reported items in their exhibitions damaged and even missing.

Exhibitors at the world's most extravagant fair say "curious and excited" visitors are ignoring the "Don't touch" signs.

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"We've got staff standing by the exhibits at all times to ensure visitors don't touch the items. Although there are plenty of notices next to the exhibits, people prefer to ignore them," said Tu Huihui, a staff member at the Solomon Islands Pavilion in the Pacific Pavilion.

Many pavilions have put handwritten as well as printed notices in English and Chinese next to the exhibits and have even blocked off certain areas, but the preventive measures have not really proved fruitful.

Most of the exhibits displayed in the Solomon Islands Pavilion are traditional handicrafts that have religious connotations for the Solomon Islanders. Many of those items are covered with "Don't touch" signs.

"They (the islanders) regard those crafts as God's gifts that shower people with good luck," said Tu.

The pavilions in the Africa Joint Pavilion have also put notices on items in a bid to prevent visitors from touching or walking away with them.

"In the beginning, we didn't put any notices on the exhibits. By last week, up to 10 items had been damaged, or simply been taken away by visitors, and we have failed to replace all of them," said Abdu Ramman Ibrahim, director of the Eritrea Pavilion.

He added that the pavilion "does not have enough staff or time" to pay attention to the exhibits in the pavilion.

There is a giant straw camel with a "Don't touch" sign standing outside the pavilion that goes unmonitored and visitors keep posing for photographs while leaning on it.

"We've put the 'Don't touch' notice to minimize the number of people sitting and lying on our exhibits, but we can't stop all the people from touching the items," Ibrahim said.

"Since last week, we've isolated the hand-woven chairs and sofas because too many people sat here eating and chatting, keeping others from seeing the exhibits in detail."

Now, pavilions have set up extra fences and added extra staff to prevent visitors from touching or damaging their exhibits.

A staff member from the Italy Pavilion has to stand by the classic Isotta Fraschini, one of the most luxurious cars in the world, to stop people from touching the vehicle.

The Czech Pavilion has a special team guarding items and verbally warning tourists to refrain from touching anything.

However, some tourists believe "touching is the most direct and quickest way to experience" the exhibits.

"There is not enough information and descriptions about the exhibits; that's why we want to touch it to know the material and weight of the item," said a visitor who picked up a teapot to examine it in the Eritrea Pavilion. "I saw the notice, but there are still many people touching the items. I just followed the others."