World Expo: Putting Indonesia on the map

The Indonesian Pavilion attracted 20,000 visitors at the opening day on May 1.

If Phileas Fogg and Passepartout need 80 days to travel the globe in Verne's classic Around the World in 80 Days to win £20,270 (US$30,000), we need less than that and less traveling once we are inside the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, China.

Located on a 5.28-square-kilometer plot of land, the 53rd expo features dozens of pavilions from 189 participating countries – after three countries withdrew from the event at the last minute – as well as 50 international organizations.

China has crafted its name in world history for its success in hosting the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. This time, Shanghai – with a 19.2 million population – aims to create another success by hosting the five-year expo dubbed the third biggest event in the world after the Olympics and the soccer World Cup. The municipality has prepared to welcome a targeted 70 million visitors during the six-month long event.

Visitors were willing to queue for four hours – especially at favorite pavilions such as China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, England and Germany – amid the heat. The organizers reported that about 200,000 people flocked to the expo site for the opening on May 1.

That day, about 20,000 visitors flocked to the Indonesian pavilion.  

The pavilion – a 2,400-square-meter building that stands on 4,000-square-meters of land – featured information about the country's rich natural resources and cultural heritage along the 700-meter ramp that allows visitors to enjoy the displays.

Balinese dance and gamelan entertained the visitors.

"It's been good to perform here," said Ni Wayan Windrati, a fifth grader from Ubud, Bali, who performed the dance to welcome Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu and Indonesian Ambassador to China Imron Cotan during the opening ceremony. Wayan practiced for nearly two months before the performance day.

The building is mostly made from bamboo. Architect Budi Lim said he wanted to create a design that represented Indonesia. "I didn't want to use traditional architecture. I realize that everyone respects nature and this is shown in the architecture. Our nation lives in harmony with nature," he said.

Budi also used bamboo because he believes it may be "the timber of the future".

Visitors take a closer look at the resin-made relief of Borobudur Temple.

Compared to other countries' pavilions, which mostly have four walls, the Indonesian pavilion is open with good air circulation. Entering the pavilion, visitors can easily spot a giant waterfall – measuring 40x17 meters –  that features a map along a wall. The waterfall also serves to cool the air temperature.

"We will be able to determine if this cooling method works over the course of summer. There are some air-conditioners that have also been installed inside the pavilion to anticipate Shanghai's heat as the temperature can reach 39 degrees Celsius during the summer," Budi said.

Mari explained that the pavilion was divided into three zones: The bio zone features the country's abundant natural resources, the diverse zone showcases equipment used by traditional society in agriculture and the city section includes food and beverages.

She said that in line with the expo theme of "Better City, Better Life", Indonesia defined "better life" as harmony among different groups with their innate cultural heritage, while constantly moving forward in democracy and modernity. "We are showcasing our democracy and the progress that we have made in political, economic and cultural aspects in the past years."

Inside the Indonesian pavilion, visitors can sign on at a computer screen to cast their votes for the Komodo dragon to be named among the new seven wonders of nature. Such an effort has helped the Komodo to stay in the top 14 at the website http://www.new7wonders.com. The Komodo, which can grow up to 3 meters in length, is an endangered species living in the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang in East Nusa Tenggara.

In another part of the pavilion, visitors can see resin-made reliefs of the world's largest Buddhist temple Borobudur and touch the Buddha's hand inside a replica of a stupa, a temple, located in Muntilan, Central Java. The world heritage site – as declared by UNESCO back in the 1980s – has been among the most favorite destination for tourists.

The pavilion also showcases numerous batik clothes as well as musical instruments such as Sasando of East Nusa Tenggara that is made from a split leaf of the Lontar palm, and becak (pedicab).

While other pavilions offer traditional cuisine, the Indonesian pavilion had yet to open its Enak (delicious) Restaurant, which minister Mari said would highlight Indonesia's delicacies such as fried rice, fried noodles and sate.

"The menu was selected by President Bambang Yudhoyono," she said. "Our nasi goreng [fried rice] is different from other country's because it's the only one that uses sweet soy sauce."

It was unfortunate the Enak Restaurant was not prepared to welcome the guests during The Jakarta Post's visit last week. The coffee corner, slated to serve the famous Toraja coffee, was not operating either.

The government spent US$10 million to build the pavilion and said it hoped to earn Rp 1 trillion (US$108.7 million) in transactions from trade, tourism and investment sectors. However, deputy chief of the Expo Coordination Bureau,  Zhu Yonglei, said that only five hallmark venues would be stored inside the Expo site, including the Expo Axis and the China Pavilion.

Mari hoped the Indonesian pavilion would be named among the five most beautiful although it is competing against other favorites including Japan, Saudi Arabia and European countries' pavilions. It is the second pavilion ever built by the government during its participation at the world expo. The opportunity has been seen by the government as "a massive PR event" to show how Indonesia has moved away from decades of autocratic rule and is becoming a beacon of democracy, emerging as one of the most resilient economies in Asia.

Mari said Indonesia, which has had the third largest economic growth after China and India, was like a charming girl. "This expo is to help people become more familiar with Indonesia before they eventually build a bilateral trade relation and invest in our country," she added.

The World Expo has brought the world closer to visitors and helped them learn about most countries' cultures as well as build interaction among them.

— Photos by Primastuti Handayani

Source: Jakartapost