Vice Premier Wu Yi unveiled the official emblem for 2010 Shanghai World Expo on Monday in Shanghai. The major body of the emblem is a green Chinese character, "shi," ("world"), connected with the numeral, "2010."

The character resembles three abstract persons standing arm-in-arm. The three figures, called "ni" ("you"), "wo" ("me") and "ta," ("him or her"), represent all humankind, according to 34-year-old designer Shao Honggeng.

"I hope to express with typical Chinese handwriting the Expo's ideology of understanding, communication, happy gathering and cooperation, and tell the world the Shanghai World Expo will be a peaceful event for the humankind," Shao said.

The design was chosen from 9,046 works by artists from China and 15 other countries.

On October 20, the State Council passed the World Expo Emblem Protection Codes. Scheduled to go into effect on December 1, the codes were developed to protect the copyrights to the Expo's name, emblem, mascot and theme song.

The Expo organizing committee held a second meeting on Monday to plan for the event.

Preparations are proceeding well "thanks to the strategic decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council," said Wu, who is also head of the organizing committee.

She said the Expo structures should be built to last. "All the facilities and infrastructure for the Expo should be constructed so that that they can still serve the people after the Expo and make full use of resources," she said.

Chen Liangyu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, vowed to make the World Expo in Shanghai a successful, attractive and memorable international event.

Participants to the meeting passed the World Expo 2010 Action Guideline, Registration Report and Expo Layout Program, and selected candidates for the government general representative to the Expo.

The World Expo, held every five years, will be held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. Its theme will be, "Better City, Better Life."

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2004)