Czech Republic sold the exhibition of the Czech pavilion to the Chinese for 33 million

Shanghai/Prague - The exhibition of the Czech pavilion at the World Expo 2010 will remain in China; the state sold it today for approximately 33 million Czech crowns. The contract was signed in Shanghai by the commissioner of the Czech participation, Pavel Stehlík, and representatives of the Czechoslovak-Chinese Friendship Farm, a conglomerate located a few hours' drive from Beijing. Jiří Potužník, the spokesman for the pavilion, stated this today.
    The farm will rebuild the pavilion and operate it to continue representing the Czech Republic, Potužník said. The farm, which was one of the interested parties in the pavilion, was reportedly established in the 1950s with the help of then-Czechoslovakia.
    Today, it is a huge conglomerate with 180,000 employees and an oil refinery that continues to develop. Its establishment was supported by then-Czechoslovakia, which provided a gift of 600 pieces of agricultural machinery, which the Chinese used to establish a new agricultural cooperative.
    The World Expo ends on the last day of October. The farm will then take 22 exhibits and parts that can be dismantled from the Czech pavilion. The structure of the pavilion belongs to the Shanghai exhibition center and will remain on site.
    The Czech exhibition consists of 22 large white cubes with artifacts from artists who aim to present especially contemporary Czechia. From the outside, the pavilion has a clean design, although it is less conspicuous compared to other pavilions. The shell is adorned with thousands of black disks.
    The Czech Republic presents itself with the exhibition "Fruits of Civilization," the exhibition pavilion is a kind of fictional city full of technological experiences, design surprises, and sensations.
    The exhibition space describes the Czech Republic of the third millennium - a crossroads where ideas, cultures, and technologies flow. The Czechs transform them with their renowned creativity into imaginative solutions that make our cities and life in them better, the creators stated.
    The Czech exhibition is among the most visited at the World Expo, competing with more than two hundred exhibitors; several entities, including Chinese cities and an auction house, have expressed interest in acquiring it after the Expo ends. According to unofficial information, Chinese authorities have allegedly prohibited cities from purchasing pavilions from the expo; however, this reportedly does not apply to the farm.
    The pavilion has already been seen by nearly 7.8 million visitors. Thus, it has already matched the success of the legendary Czechoslovak pavilion at the expo in Brussels in 1958.