Return to the World Exhibition
Thereafter, war restricted China''s attendance at World Exhibitions. It was not until the 1982 America Knoxville World Exhibition that China returned to the World Exhibition circuit. China sent delegations to the following World Exhibits: the 1982 America Knoxville World Exhibition, the 1984 New Orleans Rivers World Exhibition, the 1985 Tsukuba Science and Technology World Exhibition, the 1986 Vancouver Transportation World Exhibition, the 1988 Brisbane Relaxation World Exhibition, the 1990 Osaka World Gardening Exhibition, the 1992 Spain Seville World Exhibition, the 1992 Genoa Ship and Ocean World Exhibition, the 1993 Taejon World Exhibition, the 1997 Quebec Follows World Exhibition, the 1998 Portugal Lisbon World Exhibition, the 1999 China Kunming World Gardening Exhibition and the 2000 Germany Hannover World Exhibition. The charm and spirit of China again received world-wide attention.
The history of China''s participation in the World Exhibition reflected the ups and downs of China from decline to rejuvenation.
However, modern Chinese believed that the universal exhibitions were too competitive, and not entirely without reason. This was almost true in an age of human pride. In the second half of the 20th century, especially after World War II, the humans reviewed their existence, hoping to set up new beliefs on the ruins of war. This is no longer an age of Human Pride, instead we are becoming increasingly modest as we determine our place in the eternity of nature. People are calling for all races to share the power and intelligence of mankind to resolve the issues of existence. Humanity needs to make a concerted effort to address the hole in the ozone layer, the increasingly serious desertification of land, environmental pollution, unsustainable use of resources and weapons of mass destruction. Humanity must unite to remove the threats to human existence. While it started as an arrogant display of national wealth, the World Exhibition now looks to global unification, a common dream of all human beings. Thirty-five years ago, Martin Luther King Jnr, a great American, expressed his visionary faith in the future: "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."
This is the dream of the World Exhibition.