Australia chooses 'cheeky' Expo mascot

By Yang Jian and Liu Xiaoling  |   2009-5-9  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AUSTRALIA unveiled its official mascot for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo - a kookaburra - and invited residents of China to propose an appropriate name for the Australian bird.

The winner will receive A$2,000 (US$1,519) and a free trip to Australia.

"Clever, confident, and resourceful with a cheeky sense of humor, the kookaburra reflects well the personality of the Australian people," said Peter Tesch, commissioner-general for the Australia Pavilion.

"We wanted to showcase a uniquely Australian animal that was less well-known to Chinese people, thereby demonstrating the depth and diversity of Australia - its people, its achievements and its culture."

The name competition will run for six weeks and entries can be made via www.australianpavilion.com, the newly launched Australia Pavilion Website.

The steel structure of the Australia Pavilion was completed yesterday. It was the first foreign national pavilion to complete its outer structure.

Meanwhile, a digital version of Haibao comic books will soon be available to readers in Shanghai.

The comics chronicle the story of Expo mascot Haibao traveling through time to past World Expos.