"By playing to China's strength as an emerging economic powerhouse and to Shanghai's position as a global city open to the world, the campaign successfully conveyed the strong will to bring China to the world, and the world to China."

The Shanghai Expo was one of the most expensive and largest world fairs held in the city, showcasing China's growing global influence as the country flexed its soft-power muscles during the event.

The six-month expo smashed records for visitor numbers with more than 73 million people, most of them from China, attending. The highest daily attendance was 1.03 million.

At the closing ceremony, then-premier Wen Jiabao described the fair as "splendid", adding that it "truly brought together people from around the globe".