Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

In the company of hairstyling & makeup artist Roger Cheng and the staff of Taipei Pavilion, Mayor Hau Lung-bin introduced the staff uniforms and souvenirs of Taipei’s exhibition hall at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo on April 16.
Hau pointed out that the Taipei Pavilion will be showcasing two major achievements of Taipei City – waste recycling and wireless broadband network. Taipei is the only city among the 39 participating cities to display two themes.
Roger noted that despite his years of experience working for the entertainment industry, this was the first time for him to design uniforms. As both a resident of Taipei and a friend of the mayor’s family, he believes that it is his duty to handle this important task.
When asked about his design concepts, he remarked that uniforms should not be too “cold”, but it should give onlookers the impression of being up-to-date and dignity. To avoid distractions from the flashy light sources given off by the screens and displays inside the exhibition hall, he chose gray as the basic color for the uniform. He added the light pink – the color of rhododendrons – as a contrast to the dark color.
Starting from April 16, there will be six staff members from city hall stationed at the Taipei Pavilion on a daily basis (from the departments of information and tourism, spokesperson’s office, environment protection, and information technology respectively). Over 150 volunteers trained by Foxconn Technology Group will also help man the exhibition hall.
The souvenirs of the Taipei Pavilion were also announced at the press conference. These include: pineapple cakes packaged inside a box in the shape of Taiwan; USB drive in the shape of Yaby (one of the mascots of the Flora Expo); CD single of Leehom Wang’s “Smile at First Sight”, the theme song of the pavilion; neckties and handkerchief bearing the images of Taipei’s city flower rhododendrons; paper bags with scenes from Taipei; and printouts taken at the Taipei Pavilion’s photo booth.