The China Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo will be painted in seven shades of red, one of the pavilion's designers has revealed.

Construction began yesterday on the facade of the Chinese icon for the event with two aluminum boards being installed on a 41-meter-high beam of the 63-meter structure.

Thousands of such boards, about 60,000 square meters in all, in seven shades of red will be installed on the crossbeams and the structure's four huge feet.

Other parts of the pavilion will be covered by glass.

Different shades of red will be used on different levels to make the pavilion look as if it is all the same color in sunlight, said Ni Yang, deputy chief designer of the pavilion. The red will be darker on upper part and lighter nearer the ground.

The organizer had considered painting the pavilion in a single red, but this would have looked like it was painted in different shades because of its irregular shape, he said. The 20,000-square-meter China Pavilion, "The Crown of the East," is an inverted pyramid on its upper part.

The organizer spent more than six months to find the perfect reds, said Yao Jianping, project manager of the structure.

Many different shades of the color were collected, some from the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Experts from the China Academy of Art then combined and improved them.

Ni said people would not only feel a strong sense of Chinese style when looking at the pavilion but also get a sense of enthusiasm and progress.

The color will not fade in 30 years. And even if does begin to fade, it will be unnoticeable, he added.

Yao said the organizer had gone through a dozen plans for both the red and the materials.

Glass, porcelain and light emitting diodes had been considered for the facade.

Work on the exterior is due to be finished on July 25.

Interior decoration and exhibition arrangements will commence on September 30 and are due to be finished before the end of the year.

(Shanghai Daily May 26, 2009)