Expo 2010

Expo 2010 is a big thing for Shanghai. All construction projects are going full tilt to complete the work in time. Jackhammers and other construction equipment can be heard late into the night, even on weekends. It's no surprise the city is so focussed on meeting their deadline with Haibao (the official Expo mascot, pronounced High-Bow with the ow sounding like wow) everywhere to remind them of what is coming.

They even set up a bunch of timers to press the urgency of the coming expo
Haibao can be seen here in his traditional form:
There are hundreds of these types of sculptures around town at office buildings, malls, hotels and other attractions.
Haibao even grew out of these bushes here
And here he is inside the urban planning exhibition hall
He even takes precedence over some of the Buddha's in this temple
Needless to say the cute little Haibao is easy on the eye and I got attached to the blue creature enough to get my own souvenir keychain and one of the plush dolls.