MILAN, May 1 — China Pavilion, the country’s first self-built overseas Expo pavilion and the second largest foreign one next to Germany’s at Expo Milano 2015, opened to the public on May 1 with a duration of six months in Milan.

The China Pavilion, themed “Land of Hope, Food for Life”, is designed to showcase how Chinese people fed themselves for thousands of years and their strong love for their homeland.

“China Pavilion will exhibit the country’s agricultural history, food culture and its future expectation to the world,” said Wang Jinzhen, commissioner general for the China Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 and vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, while hosting the opening ceremony.

Outside the rippling-wheat-shaped building of the China Pavilion, Chinese and Italian guests attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The guests then visited the Pavilion, passing the “Field of Hope” consisting of some 20,000 shining artificial wheat straws.

After seeing the exhibit items, which combined modern technology and physical displays, such as the oracle bone script, Huashan rock paintings, Hani terraces, Beijing roast duck, Hybrid rice and Agricultural Internet of Things, they watched “Reunion”, the core movie of the China Pavilion.

Wang said, as a result of years of preparation, the highly-anticipated pavilion will showcase China’s progress and achievements through a series of activities. Among them are the China Pavilion Day, the Sino-Italian Agricultural and Food Forum, 11 featured exhibit items, Cultural Weeks and Days for 17 provinces and cities, 10 Corporate Days, dozens of economic and trade activities, and a large number of art performances and intangible cultural heritage shows.

The China Pavilion also has an official app for mobile phones, a 3D scene of the pavilion, and an account on the popular messaging app WeChat, providing visitors quick and convenient access to the Pavilion and the Expo.

As the last host of World Expo, China presents three exhibitors this time — the China Pavilion, the China Corporate United Pavilion and the Vanke Pavilion, covering a total area of 6700 square meters. The latter two pavilions also opened on the same day.

The China Pavilion covers an area of 4,590 square meters, while the China Corporate United Pavilion and the Vanke Pavilion cover 1,200 square meters and 900 square meters respectively, making China the country with the largest exhibition scale at the Expo.

Expo Milano 2015 is a new registered World Expo after the 2010 Shanghai Expo. A total of 148 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation, with 55 self-built pavilions.

World Expos are managed by the Bureau International des Expositions, or the international governing body established in Paris in 1928. They take place every 5 years and last up to 6 months.

Under the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, Expo Milano 2015 focuses on agriculture, grain and food. The exhibitors are expected to show the best of their technologies that offer a concrete answer to a vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet and its equilibrium.

The event will also provide the opportunity to find out about, and taste, the world’s best dishes, while discovering the best of the agri-food and gastronomic traditions of each of the exhibitor countries.

It is expected to welcome over 20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square meters of exhibition area.