New Landmark, Where 21 Countries will "Settle in"! A Priority of Province and Municipality, "SCODA Pearl" Shining in Beijing
A "new landmark" of SCO will come on stage soon, and a higher-level "SCO Countries Cooperation Hub" will be put into operation soon!
It is a masterpiece and a landmark project of SCODA, aiming to promote the bilateral and multilateral integration in areas of capital, technology and talent with SCO countries and countries along the Belt and Road in a wider range and at a deeper level. The Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center lifts its mysterious veil.
On August 17, the Promotional Event of Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center was held at SCO Secretariat in Beijing. Over 60 Chinese and international guests including diplomatic envoys of SCO countries in China and representatives of domestic and foreign economic institutions and entrepreneurs gathered together in Beijing to renew friendship, discuss cooperation and seek common development.
"Flowers in the Sea, Shining Pearl and Shell". With a total floor area of 168,800 m2, it features seven groups of centripetal shells to take the unique shape of "SCO Shell", symbolizing the richness, diversity and inclusiveness of SCO cultures and the flourishing trade among SCO countries.
Featuring "exhibition, business, tourism and culture", it will provide an exhibition hall tailored to each SCO member state, observer state and dialogue partner, and build an open local cooperation platform among SCO states.
At the promotion meeting, the design, function positioning and future planning of Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center were disclosed, which was the first comprehensive promotion of the center.
"Setting up the stage for all parties to dance." On September 30, the Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center will be delivered and put into operation. The Inauguration Ceremony and SCO Element Culture Exhibition Area Opening Ceremony will be held. And a series of activities will be organized, such as the gala, SCODA achievements exhibition, SCO countries art performances, SCO countries food festival and SCO countries photography exhibition.
Located in SCO and extended beyond SCO. A major functional platform aiming to improve the quality and reputation of SCODA is gaining momentum, and a window for people-to-people exchanges, a platform for diverse interactions and a bridge for mutual benefits between Qingdao and the SCO countries and countries along the Belt and Road are taking shape at a fast pace.
Flowers in the Sea, Shining Pearl and Shell - a New Landmark of Qingdao
The Expo Center located in the core area of SCODA is designed by well-known architectural experts, using a total amount of about 30,000 tons of steel... It shoulders the major responsibility of improving the reputation and recognition of SCODA. The principal leaders at the provincial and municipal levels attach great importance to the center. Since its launch and construction, it has been seen as the No. 1 project of SCODA.
At the beginning of the design, it was expected to become a new landmark of the city. The Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center was designed by Academician Cui Kai, Honorary President and Chief Architect of China Architectural Design and Research Group. The architect themes on "flowers in the sea, shining pearl and shell". Conforming to the grand natural landscape pattern, it adopts the circular layout symbolizing "harmony". With seven groups of centripetal shells, the building is connected as a whole through the wavy white roof, shaping the core image of "sea", "flower", "pearl" and "shell".
"The highlight of the project is its shape. On the wavy roof, there is a ring of pearl-shaped light windows, like a pearl necklace on a scallop, which also bears functions." Head of the contractor for the Expo center said that, on the exterior, a cable curtain wall creates a super-size vision of the sea, striving to fully show the "SCO elements", the coastal characteristics of Qingdao, the cultural heritage of Shandong and the open and inclusive image of China in the new era.
The total amount of steel used is about 30,000 tons, which fully demonstrates the "beauty of strength" of steel structure. It is worth mentioning that the comprehensive hall of the Expo Center adopts the large-span inverted triangle fish-belly space hyperboloid tube truss structure, with a maximum span of 110 meters, a height of 8 meters, a roof surface width of 220 meters, a depth of 179 meters, and a maximum height of 40 meters. The amount of steel components is 14,500 tons, and the number of rod parts is more than 15,000 pieces. The steel structure fully displays and expresses the "shell shape" of the comprehensive hall roof. Since each component has its own characteristics, and most of them are of irregular shape and space, the processing, assembly and welding of components are very difficult.
On February 8, the project started; on June 26, the main structure of the project was fully capped; on July 30, the roofing construction of the project element area was completed; on September 30, it will be officially delivered and put into service... The Expo Center overcame various challenges such as the pandemic and accelerated the construction. In the peak period, 36 pile machines were operated at the same time, and the construction of 7,304 precast square piles was completed in 31 days. From the start to the operation, it took less than eight months, creating a new "SCO speed" in the construction field.
Overlooking the Expo Center, the roof is elegantly raised into the "SCO Shell". The round table conference hall resembles a shining pearl, symbolizing the rich cultural diversity and prosperous trade of the SCO countries. The whole building looks like an eagle spreading its wings, welcoming visitors from all parts of the world on the northern coast of Jiaozhou Bay.
Serving SCO and Building 21 National Halls
As the first major landmark platform to be completed and put into use in SCODA since its construction started, the "SCODA Pearl" bears high expectations of all sectors.
"It will be a stage for open local cooperation among SCO countries," said Li Gang, Vice Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of SCODA, at the promotional event.
The Expo Center is composed of four parts including the comprehensive hall, SCO element demonstration area, multifunctional hall and central square. Among them, the comprehensive hall covers an area of 34,000 m2, which can undertake various levels of meetings, high-level industrial exhibitions, large-scale business negotiations and other commercial activities. With an area of about 7,900 m2, the multifunctional hall can accommodate art, cultural and exhibition activities with distinct SCO characteristics. The central square covers an area of 24,000 m2 and a sunken courtyard of 2,000 m2, where a series of activities can be organized, such as large outdoor real scene light show, cultural and artistic performances and festivals of the SCO countries. It will become an important platform for the Chinese government to hold bilateral and multilateral communication activities oriented to the SCO.
21 national halls will be built for 21 SCO countries. It was introduced that, as a most important part of the expo center, the SCO element demonstration area provides exhibition halls of equal size for all SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners, comprehensively showcasing the life scenes and featured elements of the various countries and covering their history, culture, art and folk customs. It will leverage digital light and video to authentically present the rich cultural flavors of SCO countries, and to sell featured products of the various countries. It will become an important window for the public to understand the histories and cultures of SCO countries. It will also serve as a window for local people-to-people exchanges among SCO countries.
The Expo Center has far more functions, as it will take market-oriented operation as the guidance, extending the four directions with business characteristics including "exhibition, business, tourism and culture", to create China's first new complex of "exhibition, business, tourism and culture" and a new cultural scenario experience space. It is committed to becoming the SCO's "preferred destination for high-end conferences in Qingdao", "the first SCO Cultural Experience Base", "the first SCO-themed commercial complex", "the international research base for teenagers", and "the preferred destination for micro-vacations in cities". It will become a comprehensive new space for the interaction and integration of diverse business forms and one-stop cultural experience of the SCO countries.
It was also said that, from September 30 to October 7, we will hold the inauguration ceremony of Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center and the opening ceremony of SCO Element Demonstration Area. In the future, we will also organize a series of major events at the Expo Center, including the China-SCO Digital Trade Forum, the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Exchange Forum, the "New Partners, New Opportunities, Joining Hands for the Future" SCO Economic and Trade Exchange Fair, and Qingdao Multinationals Summit.
Exhibitions, people-to-people exchanges, economic and trade dialogues, two-way investment... In the future, there will be a variety of activities among SCO countries here, and moving scenes of "friendship among countries, amity and mutual understanding among the peoples" along the Silk Road will be staged here.
Creating a Never-Ending Economic, Trade, Cultural and People-to-People Exhibition
As an important platform for Shandong Province and Qingdao to promote the in-depth integration of bilateral and multilateral capital, technology and talent among SCO countries at a higher level, the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center will realize the goal of "located in SCO and extended beyond SCO". It will combine the "industrial Internet", "metaverse" and other technologies to accommodate the SCO's never-ending economic, trade and cultural conferences and exhibitions, and create a higher-level "SCO countries cooperation hub".
Economic and trade cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and security are called the "three carriages" of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. "In the future, we will benchmark against top exhibition centers at home and abroad, leverage the industrial Internet, artificial intelligence and other technologies to promote the creation of digital exhibition halls in SCO national pavilions, and regularly carry out cultural and economic exchanges such as video conference, economic and trade tanlks, technology display and product transaction."
According to a person in charge of the Administrative Committee of SCODA, at present, based on the opinions of related countries’ embassies in China and relevant materials, the scenes of the Version 1.0 of the national pavilions of the SCO Element and Culture Exhibition Area have been designed and set up in advance. In addition, we have prepared some commodities from different countries. In the future, we will continue to improve the exhibition hall design, enrich the multimedia display content and exhibits, and increase the variety of commodities. Going forward, we sincerely invite more meetings, exhibitions, competitions and other activities, in addition to the SCO countries, to be held at the Expo Center. The Administrative Committee of SCODA will provide full support and service.
For such an important coastal center city in China, opening up is the true color and DNA of Qingdao. Qingdao has seized a series of national strategic opportunities and opened its door wider to the outside world.
Previously, combining geographical and industrial advantages, Qingdao has built the "international cooperation hub" for Germany, Japan, South Korea, Israel and SCO countries, and the "Shandong cooperation hub" for 16 cities in Shandong Province and 7 cities of the east-west collaboration.
Nowadays, these "cooperation hubs" have already broken through the limits of geographical location, and become the "stage" for overseas communication, and they also drive the whole city of Qingdao to become the "international cooperation hub" in a broader sense.
As the "leading" platform of SCODA in the future, the Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center will not only serve the core area of SCODA, but also gather more information and resources of logistics, trade, investment, business and tourism, taking advantage of Qingdao as a diversified and open urban platform. Oriented toward Shandong and radiating the Yellow River Basin, we will facilitate the building of a new strategic pivot for China's further opening-up in the north of the Yangtze River, and foster a pattern of opening-up through link running east and west, across land and over sea.
At present, the SCODA is pooling the "SCO strength" through opening-up, and making full efforts to promote the "four centers" of international logistics, modern trade, two-way investment, and commercial, tourism and cultural exchange, as well as the establishment of the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade.
In terms of the international logistics center, the SCODA is interconnected and has smooth flows of goods. 27 international and domestic freight train lines run across Europe and Asia, linking 51 cities in 22 countries. In terms of the modern trade center, the SCODA has initiated more than 40 innovative achievements, such as the SCO Trade Index and the "SCO · Bank and Insurance Pass", enabling the import and export with SCO countries to double year by year. In terms of the commercial, tourism and cultural exchange center, the SCODA has made solid progress in building the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade, carried out 62 foreign aid training and economic and trade training courses, and successfully held more than 50 cultural and people-to-people exchange activities. The SCODA's "circle of friend" in the SCO countries is ever expanding.
Chasing the dream and embarking on a new journey. Taking the Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center as a new starting point, the SCODA is aiming at a bigger goal - it will focus on the four aspects of "seeking pragmatic progress, doing good work, improving the reputation and enhancing the recognition of SCODA", and strive for practical results. It will become a pilot area for the innovation of two-way investment and trade system among relevant localities of SCO countries, a cluster for entrepreneurship and business development, and a pilot area for local economic and trade cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative. It will lead the further opening-up of Shandong Province and create a new highland of opening-up in the new era.
Sohail Khan, SCO Deputy Secretary General, said at the promotional event that the SCODA has created conditions for deepening inter-regional cooperation among SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners in such areas as business development, international logistics, e-commerce, education, tourism and innovation. "The Qingdao · SCODA Pearl International Expo Center will further promote the trade, investment and cultural cooperation among SCO countries."
The calm and broad ocean and gusty wind make it perfect for sailing. With the central, provincial and municipal governments attaching great importance to the opportunity of building the SCODA, and taking advantage of the strong progress of the SCO, the goal of building the SCODA is becoming clearer, the mechanism is improved, and the synergy is stronger. In the future, the SCODA will surely become a hot land full of vitality and entrepreneurship in China, and write a wonderful chapter in building a new platform for international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.