4. Innovative Hebei

The people of Hebei have a proud history of innovation. The well-known Zhaozhou Bridge, located on the Xiaohe River in Zhaozhou county, Hebei province, is the largest and oldest open-spandrel stone segmental arch bridge in the world. The innovative main arch of the Zhaozhou Bridge curves to form a shallow arch rather than the half circle preferred by Roman engineers at the time. Its unique design and structure has won universal admiration.

Today’s Hebei is leading in green technologies and as a low-carbon economy. New energy and new materials have become highlights of the province’s urban development.

Baoding is a pilot city promoting low-carbon development in China. At the beginning of 2008, Shanghai and Baoding became the first cities to join a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative to explore low-carbon development in China's urban areas.

Baoding has not only developed the technologies; it has put them into production and applied them in communities for lighting and heating. It is building a "solar city" to use and showcase the solar technology it has produced and seems on track to become the "clean energy valley" for China.

5. Balanced urban and rural development

Hebei is also doing well in balancing urban and rural development. The province’s cities are large in number, but small in size. A balanced development between urban and rural areas is good for promoting population migration into cities and resource utilization in rural areas.

V. Exhibition Style

The pavilion will offer a vivid display of Hebei province's culture, history, people, technology and economy by using multimedia technology, beautiful pictures and interactive features.

The pavilion is positioned to be a modern one with traditional charm, the province’s culture and its understanding of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.