At the Czech pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo this week.
Ambassadors of Czech culture:
In the refreshment area (real Czech beer):
Display of Czech aerospace tradition (large-scale flight simulator, Chinese father and son inside):
Meta-theme: Shanghai Expo of 2010, whose most devoted attendees appear to be small-town and rural Chinese folk, serving the same role the St. Louis World's Fair did for Midwestern Americans a century ago -- giving them a glimpse of what the wide world might look like, since they are not likely ever to see it themselves. Strangely uplifting.
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James Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and has written for the magazine since the late 1970s. He has reported extensively from outside the United States and once worked as President Carter's chief speechwriter. He and his wife, Deborah Fallows, are the authors of the new book Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America, which has been a New York Times best seller and is the basis of a forthcoming HBO documentary.