10,000 people visited the Romanian pavilion on Saturday, the opening day. The public was allowed to visit it after the cutting of the red tape, at noon. Visitors were lured by the show on the stage and a restaurant with Romanian food, though the prices were not cheap.
The Japanese used little robots and technology to attract visitors, the Spanish - the power of the Spanish symbols: corridas, tomato fights, Rafael Nadal and a six-meters high baby; the Germans used grandiose settings and the French - art exhibitions: Cesanne, Van Goch, Miller, Manet, Bonnard, Gauguin and Rodin.
The Romanian organisers placed their bets on cultural events, which seem to attract the visitors to their pavilion, most of them Chinese. The shows last 15 minutes each, with a 10 minutes break. It is a challenge and sometimes the break is too short. The heat outside, nearly 30 degrees Celsius, is exhausting.
Ferdinand Nagy, Romania's councillor for the event, stressed the importance of the cultural events as a means to promote the pavilion to the mainstream public. So the shows will be put on for the entire next six months. The Romanian folklore is being presented in Shanghai, with classical music, ballet and theatre to follow. Bulandra Theatre and The Mask Theatre will hold representing in Greenopolis. One of their shows will be scheduled during the two weeks when Bucharest will be promoted in Shanghai. Tandarica and the 10 poles orchestra will also be present at the Expo.
Expo 2010 Chinese organisers asked for some Romanian artists names to be included in a bigger show, featuring artists from the participating countries. Romania will be represented by Danian Draghici with a new project - Balkan Jazz, and Grigore Lese, who got an award last year in Shanghai.
The restaurant selling Romanian food at the exhibition is, indeed, a point of
