State grid gets above the surface

China's State Grid, the country's main power supplier, yesterday began construction of the surface-level part of its pavilion. An underground substation under the building has been finished and will function as the electricity supplier for all pavilions on the Expo site.

Scene of the ceremony which marks the start of construction of  the China's State Grid Pavilion's surface-level part

The power supplier will provide a showcase of "light and electricity." The grid's pavilion will be a metallic square with a crystal cube embedded inside. It will include displays showing how the substation works.

The pavilion's theme will be based on the "relationship between electricity and daily life." It was designed by Zhao Xiaojun, the senior designer for the National Aquatics Center for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The pavilion covers 4,000 square meters in the Puxi section of the Expo site.