
Less than 100 days before the World Expo opens in Shanghai, armies of migrant workers wearing hard-hats are buzzing around a huge muddy site where the pavilions are far from finished

But officials say preparations are on track for the massive six-month event, which is due to bring at least 70 million visitors streaming into China's biggest city from May 1

Less than two years after China successfully hosted the Beijing Olympics, Expo 2010 will offer the Asian giant a new opportunity to impress the world

China has also allocated 14 billion dollars for new highways, subway lines, road repairs and the renovation of many districts in Shanghai - a figure that does not even include the expansion of the city's Pudong airport

China's Expo performance centre, which looks like a flying saucer, can house an audience of up to 18,000 people

On the as-yet-unfinished "Expo Boulevard," huge trumpet-shaped structures will soak up the sun's rays to light up galleries and catch the rain to water the green areas

The biggest of the national pavilions is China's - a large, red inverted pyramid that can be seen from far away and which Xu says represents "wisdom, wealth and harmony"

The British pavilion looks like a giant ball of acrylic rods...

..During the day, each of these 7.5-metre long rods will act like fibre optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior...

...At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod will allow the whole structure to glow

The Australian pavilion has curving walls and red ochre exterior remniscent of Uluru

The Romanian pavilion is in the shape of a green apple and is called Greenopolis

Poland's construction brings to mind intricately cut paper

The Dutch pavilion, known as Happy Street, comprises 26 small elevated houses and a giant yellow tulip

Cirque du Soleil created the concept design for the Canadian pavilion and the building will host regular performances by the world famous circus group

Switzerland's pavilion will see visitors ride chair lifts on the building's grassy roof

Israel's pavilion is in the shape of a seashell, or like two clasped hands, one made of stone, the other of glass

The architect of Germany's pavilion said the highlight will be a cone-shaped structure housing a revolving metal sphere, three metres in diameter and covered with 30,000 LEDs, which will be activated by the noise and movement of spectators

The Russian pavilion features 12 white towers inspired by traditional Russian women's costume

Japan, meanwhile, has chosen a kind of purple turtle

The Belgian pavilion will be a 5,250-square-metre rectangle with a huge "brain cell" as the centrepiece. Visitors will enter the pavilion via a vein of the "brain"

At the Irish pavilion, visitors will get a feel of Dublin's Liffey River and walk down a re-creation of O'Connell Street, a landmark of the Irish capital

The Danish pavilion, called "Welfairytales" - a blend of the words "welfare" and "fairy tales" - will feature a salt water pool filled with water from the Copenhagen harbour - and the Little Mermaid statue

France's national pavilion is cloaked in a concrete fishnet and will have a huge garden inside. It will be surrounded by water so that it appears to float

Mexico has chosen not a building, but a "Kite Forest" - a green slope with 135 kites being flown over it

Luxembourg's pavilion resembles an ancient castle and is one of the smallest national pavilions

The USA pavilion is built around the theme "Better Cities and Better Lives" and will have an urban farm on its roof

The Norwegian pavilion is made of wood and bamboo with 15 model trees

The Austrian pavilion will take visitors on a journey through snow-capped mountains, forests, flowing rivers and urban landscapes