Milan expo's legacy should be a lasting one

Expo is impressive, but it seems unclear if it will fulfill its goal of feeding the planet

The National Day of China was celebrated at the Milan Expo on June 8, with Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang and Italian Education Minister Stefania Giannini present.

"Harmony between nature and humanity has always been an intrinsic part of Chinese culture," Wang said. "The expo is an opportunity to deepen the relations between China and Italy and to reinforce the meaning of the Silk Road," he added.

The China Pavilion's theme, "Land of Hope, Food for Life", indicates China's desire and efforts to improve agriculture's relationship with the environment and reduce food waste.

The six-month world's fair includes the presence of 145 countries, including a record 54 national pavilions, and is expected to attract more than 20 million tourists and visitors. Its theme is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life". It started on May 1.

The Milan Expo is the largest international event ever dedicated to nutrition and environmental sustainability, officials say. In its first month, more than 2.7 million people visited the site, an average of 90,000 a day. Such numbers are far beyond the optimistic expectations of the organizers, they say.

The positive numbers are helping overcome memories of the problems that cropped up during the years the expo was being prepared. Since 2008, when Milan won the right to host the expo, and even a few days before the inauguration, corruption scandals, bureaucratic delays and violent protests created doubts about the event.

"The expo bet has been won," Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared during the opening ceremony. Being ready at the last minute is part of the Italian way and attitude. But it is not by chance that the first entirely completed pavilion was that of Vanke, China largest real estate company. Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the Vanke Pavilion could be considered an interesting model of efficient synergy between Chinese management and capital together with Italian human resources.

The approach of the expo accompanied many changes in Milan in recent years, including expansion of public transport services and the city's skyline. Especially for Italy's economic and financial capital, the expo is a unique opportunity and a strong business catalyst to reshape the image of a smart and modern European city. During the months of the expo, Italy will be replete with cultural events, art exhibitions and culinary attractions.

China has been the largest foreign investor in the Milan Expo, erecting three pavilions. More than 1 million Chinese visitors are expected to come to Milan and many Italians here hope that some of them will be entrepreneurs willing to make long-term investments in this country. In the first month, the Chinese pavilions were among the most visited by tourists.

As organizers have said since the beginning, the expo should be not only a showcase of human progress, but also an opportunity to seriously study how to together develop long-term strategies to improve the quality of life and protect the environment. The problems the world faces over food are daunting: There are an estimated 900 million underfed people in the world, while at the opposite end a large portion of the population in the most industrialized countries suffer from disorders related to bad dietary education and habits.

An international discussion on how to ensure enough healthy food for all people and respect natural resources should remain the clear objective of this world's fair.

But walking along the exhibitions and exchanging opinions with many visitors, I got the feeling of being in what is essentially a big, temporary theme park that's open until midnight, with glamorously designed pavilions surrounded by hundreds of gorgeous restaurants and seductive kiosks and street food stations. More than "feeding the planet", it seemed to me a big, open-air market focused mainly on attracting culinary tourism. "Nutrition" and "gastronomy" are similar, but they are not the same.

Hopes are that the expo will not forget its initial and ambitious focus to take some concrete and effective steps toward the right of all the world's people to have healthy, secure and sufficient food. If the expo does not put enough energy and attention toward this original commitment, I am afraid that once the multicolor lights of this Milan edition are turned off, all that will remain will be empty buildings and the smell of McDonald's fries and hamburgers served to millions of tourists who have returned home. At this point, there's still time to make sure the Milan Expo fulfills its goals.

The author is the general manager of Hengdian Group Europe (Milan) and a recipient of the China National Friendship Award in 2010. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.