Shanghai Expo-themed float to be shown at US Parade

LOS ANGELES: A colorfully decorated float dedicated to the Shanghai 2010 World Expo will be featured in next year's Pasadena Rose Parade in California to lure more visitors from abroad to the Expo.

This is the second time a Chinese float will be included in the traditional New Year celebration, which usually takes place on January 1 each year.

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The float, sponsored by local Chinese societies in Southern California, will feature the theme of the Expo, Chinese traditions and hallmarks of a modern Shanghai. It will display the logo and mascot of the Expo, lots of red color, treasured by the Chinese because of its symbolic value, and modern landmark buildings in Shanghai.

The medium-sized float is 16.8-meter-long, 5.5-meter-wide and 13.7-meter-high. It will be festooned with 100,000 flowers. Some 100 children, including rollerskaters and dancers from Shanghai, will escort the float during the 121st Rose Parade.

The 121st Rose Parade, with its theme of "A Cut Above the Rest, " is expected to draw more than one million visitors to Pasadena with its exquisite formations and entertaining displays. People in more than 40 countries are expected to watch live TV coverage of the parade.

On January 1, 2008, a float dedicated to the celebration of the Beijing Olympics took part in the parade, making it the first time for a China-themed float to be featured in the New Year pageant.

The Shanghai Expo, with its theme of "Better City, Better Life," will be held from May through October next year, with a total of more than 70 million people, half of them foreigners, expected to attend.